Browns to draft RGIII in 2012?

There have been a number of rumors that the Rams, not wanting to select a QB at #2 in the 1^st round would be in an advantageous position to trade with a number of teams wanting to pick up Robert Griffin III (RGIII) from Baylor, namely the Dolphins, Redskins, or the Browns, as Andrew Perloff of SI.com has speculated. The Browns are looking at two 1^st round picks this next draft (2011 draft trade with Falcons), and would be in a position to provide the Rams the best offer for the #2 selection. But I don’t know how to feel about this possibility. Many are calling for a change at QB, claiming McCoy doesn’t have that “something” special” or a strong enough arm to make it in the NFL. There’s good and bad to this scenario as I see it.

I think Colt McCoy is a natural leader, and he became more authoritative as the season progressed. He also advanced his game on all fronts (reading defenses, decision-making, etc), even with a couple of bad outings this past season. He’s familiar with the west coast offense (Shurmur’s system) going back to his days at the University of Texas, and has been in the Browns’ system for a whole season. Additionally, the following facts from 2011 give me reason to believe we have not yet seen the best in McCoy; (1) he played with a group of unproven receivers, many who were also new to the Browns system (Moore, Little, Cameron); (2) the receiver corps again dropped far too many passes or made incorrect reads in routes, (3) the Browns spent the majority of the season without an effective running game (injuries), (4) the offensive line was once again a makeshift bunch at LG, RG and RT… constantly alternating players at positions and/or changing out for reserves… due to injuries, and (5) the offensive play-calling was far too conservative.

With RGIII, here’s yet another proven winner in the NCAA ranks, also a leader who was seemingly unshakable in his impressive bowl outing. He has a rifle for an arm, great mechanics, a beautiful spiral on his throws reminiscent of Michael Vick, and his performance the last couple seasons has been very impressive. He’s more mobile, bigger at 6’2” and 220lbs, and has shown a knack for rarely turning the ball over. He’s also a passer first, runner second, although he average more than ten rushes/game this past season. But he’s also a product of the spread-offense, and has not played in the west coast or pro systems. And he also benefited from targeting what was most likely a 1^st round WR in Kendall Wright while at Baylor.

So which is the best option for the Browns? While I would love to see RGIII in a Browns uniform, can we honestly say that the play at QB was the single greatest reason why the Browns offense was so terrible in 2011? And if to the very least it was “one of the main reasons”, then why? Was it due to poor pass protection, or consistently bad defensive reads? Was it due to a lack of effective running game or conservative play calling? Was the low yds/pass attempt due to McCoy’s inability to make the throws downfield, or the receiver corps’ inability to break open the field… or perhaps the lack of running game permitting the safeties to sit back in coverage? I honestly don’t know the answer to these questions. But what I do know is the Browns will have the 4^th and 23^rd selection in the 1^st round of the draft, and with the rookie wage scales in place, Cleveland will have both the cap space available for those two players and the desire to fill glaring needs at other positions.

So the real question is, do the Browns believe RGIII is really worth two 1^st round draft picks? Can the Browns forego two 1^st round draft rookies for another QB who may have just as little offensive support without those two 1^st rounders on the roster? Can you guarantee free agency will provide the offensive support, and that RGIII can pick up a whole new offensive system, let alone a new playbook in the offseason camps? If ever there was a time when the Browns should not be so conservative, now is NOT that time. I think the Browns would benefit more from filling two offensive holes with those picks. Not to mention, there are a number of really good college QBs who will be available next draft class if McCoy fails to make his breakthough in the 2012 season.