The Cleveland Browns are in the market for a quarterback this offseason despite having Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown and a trade for Sam Bradford or Mike Glennon could be options and this comes as the team has looked at Marcus Mariota, Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson and Brett Hundley as potential targets in the upcoming NFL draft.
The Browns interest in Mariota has been reported on quite a bit, but the team is also looking at other quarterbacks in the draft. According to Pro Football Talk, the team has already met with Bryce Petty and they also are working out Garrett Grayson. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the team is giving a private workout to Grayson and that they also may meet with Brett Hundley before the draft.
The Browns are in good position to trade up for Mariota if they want, but the team may wait and pick another one of the quarterbacks later on. Getting Mariota likely means trading up to the number two pick in the draft and that will take a nice package of selections. The team is well positioned to do it, as they have two first round picks this season and they also have the most selections of any other team in the draft this year.
Mariota is only going to be available if the team trades up, but if they sit tight, there is a good chance they will get the opportunity to take Petty or Grayson. This offseason Grayson has been getting a lot of attention, as many scouts see him as a QB with a very high upside after playing at Colorado State. Grayson has the measurables and he put up some strong numbers last season with 4,006 yards, 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The team reportedly offered a first round pick for Bradford and is still interested in trading for him. Manziel was in rehab this offseason and his future is up in the air and Ray Farmer already said this offseason that he would not shy away from quarterbacks in the draft. The team could consider trades and Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.com reported earlier in the offseason that the team "sniffed around" on Glennon. If the Browns miss out on Mariota or the other QBs, Glennon could be an option after the draft if the Bucs take Jameis Winston.
Grayson had a strong pro day after not working out at the combine and he had a 64 percent completion rate last year and that could get scouts to look at him as a strong option for the NFL. Mariota likely will go number two and if the Browns don't move up to get him, expect them to target Grayson or Petty, who put up very good numbers after taking over at Baylor for Robert Griffin.
The Browns finished last season with a five game losing streak and they opted to bring in McCown over signing back Brian Hoyer. The team now is hoping for some major improvement in 2015 and if Manziel does not show that he can handle being a backup or an NFL quarterback, the Browns will not hesitate to bring in someone else. The QB class is fairly deep this year and Cleveland is expected to take at least one prospect.
