Johnny Manziel's rookie season was so rocky that the Cleveland Browns had all but given up on him this offseason. It was an open secret that the Browns were more than interested in trading up for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in this year's NFL Draft. Although the Browns failed to get their guy, their intentions speak volumes about their opinion of Johnny Football.
As such, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Cleveland again go after a quarterback in next year's draft. Michigan State's Connor Cook has been mentioned as a possibility should the Browns find themselves at the top of the draft. Ohio State's Cardale Jones is another intriguing option.
WalterFootball.com projects the Browns to select Jones with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Projections this far in advance have a tendency not to pan out, but should this one hold up then the pairing makes some sense.
"The Browns failed to trade up for Marcus Mariota, so they'll have to find their quarterback of the future next spring; Chris Mortensen reported that Cleveland has '90 percent' given up on a quarterback who rolls $20s in bathrooms. Mike Pettine called the report '90-percent inaccurate,' but he was 90-percent lying in order to maintain leverage for Mariota.
"Cardale Jones would've been a second-round prospect had he declared for the 2015 NFL Draft, though there was a chance he would've gone late in the first via a team trading up. That will hardly be the case in the 2016 NFL Draft. If Jones starts and continues to thrive, he'll be a top-five selection, and he could potentially go No. 1 overall. He has way too much upside and natural talent, displaying Ben Roethlisberger - or Daunte Culpepper-type abilty."
While one can argue with the website's claim that Jones would have been a borderline first-round pick this year, no one can argue with Jones' play on the field. In his only three career starts, Jones won the Big 10 championship, the Sugar Bowl and the National Championship. He threw for 860 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions in that span while also running for 296 yards and one score. Of course, he still has to beat out Braxton Miller and J.t. Barrett for the starting gig. But, best case scenario, he's atop a lot of people's mock drafts in 2016.
The Browns may have to compete with the New York Jets and other QB-needy teams for Jones. But they'll be happy to do it if they think he can be a franchise quarterback.
