Here's How The Browns Become Draft Kings

Raise your hand if you’ve heard this before: It’s the most crucial draft since the Cleveland Browns were reborn as an expansion franchise. 

Hands down, this one actually is.

A year ago, the Browns sacrificed a potential franchise quarterback when they traded down twice to acquire extra draft picks. Then they “earned” the No. 1 pick in the draft by losing 15 of 16 games.

The good news is the Browns enter the 2017 NFL draft April 27-29 with two picks in the first round, including the No. 1 overall, and two picks in the second round. The bad news is their search for a transcendent quarterback feels as absurd as Monty Python’s quest for the Holy Grail.

So how do the Browns maximize their enviable draft position and make up ground on their division rivals?

Trade for New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been Tom Brady’s understudy for three seasons. 

Browns coaches liked Garoppolo in the 2014 draft, but owner Jimmy Haslam and then-general manager Ray Farmer overruled them and drafted Johnny Manziel instead. Luckily, Garoppolo could be available in a trade. Brady, 39, wants to play into his 40s, and Patriots mastermind Bill Belichick drafted a promising Brady-heir last year in Jacoby Brissett.

If the Browns could finagle a trade that protects their two first-round picks, they could address defensive needs with elite pass rusher Myles Garrett of Texas A&M and Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. If Hooker is gone, they could use the pick on the best available cornerback.

If the Browns come out of the draft with Garoppolo and two mainstay defensive players, they may have finally crossed the Bridge of Death on this 20-year odyssey.