Report: Browns leaning toward Allen or Mayfield at No. 1
The Cleveland Browns are expected to pass on USC quarterback Sam Darnold with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's NFL draft, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
The Browns have apparently "cooled" on the 20-year-old Darnold and are instead focused on either Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield or Wyoming's Josh Allen.
Browns general manager John Dorsey hasn't tipped his hand in recent weeks, telling reporters last Thursday that he remains open to "all options" with the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks.
Most considered Darnold the favorite to go No. 1 for the last several weeks, but Allen's name has gained steam recently. Meanwhile, Browns head coach Hue Jackson told reporters last Tuesday that all four top quarterbacks -- Darnold, Allen, Mayfield and UCLA's Josh Rosen -- remain in play for Cleveland.
"The only thing I really care about: Do the guys win?" Dorsey said of evaluating quarterbacks. "Does he have accuracy, does he have a strong arm? Can he throw the ball in the red zone in tight windows, can he drive the ball? At the end of the game, does he win? That's kind of what I look for."
Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner, threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdown passes with the Sooners in his senior season. He led Oklahoma to a Big 12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff, where it lost a double-overtime thriller to Georgia.
Allen put himself on the NFL radar in 2016 with 3,203 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns. He returned for the 2017 season, but his top two rushers and three top receivers did not, and Allen's production and on-field play dropped.
He finished with 1,812 passing yards and 21 total touchdowns in 2017, but missed two games due to a right shoulder injury.
--Field Level Media
