The Cleveland Browns have reportedly offered two first round picks in a trade to the Tennessee Titans ahead of the NFL draft and the team could take Marcus Mariota at number two overall if the deal goes through and this comes as the Browns have been interested in Mariota all offseason at quarterback.
The team already has Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel, but with Manziel's future up in the air, the team may now go after Mariota. According to ESPN reports, the Browns have offered two first round picks for the chance to draft Mariota. The team picks at number 12 and number 19 this season and the Titans could take those picks, plus other selections for the number two overall pick.
Mariota has been linked to the Browns all offseason and while the trade has been offered, it doesn't mean it will happen. Jameis Winston is expected to go at number one overall to the Buccaneers and that leaves the Titans at number two to take Mariota if they want. The Browns are one of a number of teams to show interest in Mariota, as the San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears and NY jets all have had interest as well. The Chargers worked him out, but it's not looking like they will make an offer to trade up.
The Bucs could surprise and then take Mariota over Winston, but all major draft experts and reports have Winston going at number one. The Browns have made moves like this before, but if they see Mariota as a future superstar, they should go after him. Manziel had a disappointing run as a rookie and after going into rehab this offseason, the team may not want to rely on him as the QB of the future anymore.
The Browns got the second first round pick from last year when they traded out of the top five with the Bills so they could take Sammy Watkins. The team now has the chance to move up and this would be a huge move, as the Titans are likely to trade the pick to someone. Manziel's future is up in the air no matter what the team does and if they take Mariota, it really will be.
The Browns missed out on major free agents this offseason despite having cap space and they lost out on names like Jeremy Maclin, Jordan Cameron, Julius Thomas, CJ Spiller and Mark Ingram. The team let Brian Hoyer go and signed Josh McCown and now Manziel and Josh Gordon's futures are up in the air in Cleveland, as Gordon is facing a suspension.
The Browns have some major questions going forward with Manziel and Gordon and they also could look at drafting a wide receiver later in the draft if they pull off this move. Last season the team started off well, with Hoyer going 7-4 for the Browns before faltering down the stretch and the team could totally reshape the QB position. Pro Football Talk reported that Hoyer as only open to returning if he had the chance to compete for the starting job again and that could be why he signed with the Titans.
