According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “multiple teams have called the Browns about their No. 4 pick.”
At least three or four teams in the top 20 have expressed interest in trading up, and the Browns are expected to have some enticing options on draft day.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who has the No. 6 pick, has already identified the Browns as a potential trade partner, and the Eagles at No. 15 are believed to be interested in trading up, sources said. At least two other teams are in the mix.
And it’s not just Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill that teams are after. There’s been considerable interest in USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon.
When Fisher said Friday morning on “Mike & Mike” that the Browns were potential trade partners for the Rams, I assumed that St. Louis could be targeting Cleveland’s second pick in the first round (No. 22 overall). The reason for my thinking is because the buzz in St. Louis is that the Rams want to trade down – not up.
But if this report from the Plain Dealer is accurate and the Rams do want to move up, I’m willing to bet that they’re targeting one of two players: Matt Kalil or Trent Richardson. I know a lot of mock drafts have the Rams selecting Justin Blackmon, which would certainly make sense given St. Louis’ need for a No. 1 receiver. But I just have a feeling that Blackmon isn’t on the top of the Rams’ draft board and believe it or not, I think there’s a strong possibility that he goes No. 3 to Minnesota.
The more interesting trade scenario involves Cleveland and Philadelphia, with the Eagles potentially moving up for Ryan Tannehill. As I’ve stated in other articles, I don’t view Tannehill as a top 10 pick and it seems like a stretch that the Eagles would part with a No. 1 pick in order to move up to No. 4. Because they’re not moving into the top 5 for anything less than their No. 1 in 2013.
As for Cleveland, it would be a dream scenario for the Browns to trade down and still land an impact player at the top of their draft board. If they swap places with the Rams, they might be able to still land Richardson at No. 6, all while acquiring more draft selections in the process. (Provided that St. Louis doesn’t take him at No. 4, of course.)
