Tuesday, February 14, 2012

2012 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns Would Make Mistake Drafting Robert Griffin III

2012 NFL Draft

It seems that Robert Griffin III, barring some serious skeletons in the closet, is a lock to go the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Both experts on CBS Sports have RG3 going there, as does Rotoworld. ESPN Scouts Inc. has Griffin III as the fourth-best player in the draft as well.

Almost since the team's return to the NFL in 1999, it has yet to find a real franchise quarterback. Beginning with Tim Couch in '99, then following with names like Jeff Garcia, Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and Colt McCoy, the Browns have never maintained consistency at the position.Robert Griffith III

So drafting Griffin III would have to make the most sense, right? Not quite.

There is no doubting the team has issues at the position. Seneca Wallace is not a long-term option, and the initial long-term option, McCoy, is surrounded by question marks.

But it would be premature to completely rule out McCoy could be a dependable quarterback in the future.

For all the talk among football fans that a great quarterback is necessary to win a Super Bowl, one must only look at the fact that Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson have won as many titles as Peyton Manning and Steve Young.

Although McCoy's arm strength has always been a huge question mark, Chad Pennington showed that you don't have to have a bullet arm to be a solid quarterback.

In order to win a Super Bowl, the team must be built solidly at every position on the field. The Browns had the 24th-ranked passing attack, 28th-ranked rushing offense and 30th-ranked rushing defense in the NFL last year.

Robert Griffin III is not going to improve all of those areas. Any comparison between RG3 and Donovan McNabb could become more apt because like McNabb, Griffin III would not be able to single-handedly lead his team to the promised land.

The Browns would be smart to trade the No. 4 pick for multiple picks later in the draft. As the Cincinnati Bengals showed last year by drafting Andy Dalton, there is value in quarterbacks selected in the second round.

If Cleveland did trade the pick, they could look to Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weeden as an option later in the first round or second round.

Also, with Peyton Hillis' issues last year, you have to wonder if he burned too many bridges in Cleveland. However, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Browns would like to have him back.

Should the team trade the No. 4 pick, it could select Trent Richardson as either a replacement for Hillis right now or to complement him with the idea of supplanting Hillis in the future.

There are multiple options the Browns could pursue in the 2012 draft, but drafting Robert Griffin III should not be one of them.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1064176-cleveland-browns-would-make-a-mistake-by-drafting-robert-griffin-iii

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