Cleveland Browns Pass on QB at No. 1 in Latest Mock Draft
The Super Bowl is in the rear view mirror, and since the NFL always soldiers on, that means we are entering mock draft season! Football has become a 12-month sport thanks to offseason interest peaking with the draft in the spring. Every fan yearns to get a glimpse of what their favorite club might do.

Though the attention is great for the sport, teams try their best to avoid leaking any information to the public. Nothing is worse for a club than having their draft plans in the hands of other organizations. Even still, behind that veil of secrecy, formulating mock drafts is endlessly fun and informative. Thanks to scouting and assessments of team needs, a mock draft doesn’t have to be perfectly accurate to be beneficial.

Bleacher Report released its latest 2018 mock draft this week. Things get interesting right from the jump with the Cleveland Browns deciding not to select a quarterback with the first pick.

Rather than having their selection of the best QB in the draft, the Browns instead go with Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley is widely considered one of the top three players in this class, so the selection isn’t outlandish. But it is risky for Cleveland, a team that has been without a franchise quarterback since its reboot at the turn of the century.

That leaves the New York Giants – at pick number two – with their choice of any quarterback they desire. B/R has New York going with USC passer Sam Darnold as its hopeful replacement for Eli Manning behind center.

After Indianapolis selects edge rusher Bradley Chubb at three, the run at quarterbacks begins in earnest. The Browns have their second pick coming at fourth overall thanks to a past trade with Houston. So, though Cleveland’s decision to pass on a QB at one is noteworthy, the team isn’t out of luck completely. In this scenario, it still gets the second-best quarterback prospect in the draft, and since opinions are so varied on who actually is the best or second-best QB in this class, this move makes a lot of sense.

The Browns make Baker Mayfield that second QB taken, followed by Buffalo taking Josh Rosen at five, and the New York Jets taking Josh Allen at six. That makes four of the top six players off the board QBs.