2012 NFL Draft: Todd McShay Thinks Cleveland Browns Should Trade Up for RGIII

If ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay was running the Cleveland Browns' 2012 NFL draft, he wouldn't hesitate to trade up and draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second pick. 

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain-Dealer, the Browns will likely have to win a bidding war with the Washington Redskins to move up to the second overall pick. McShay told Cabot during a draft conference call on Thursday that he would surrender the Browns' pair of first-round picks—No. 4 and No. 22 overall—in order to get Grifffin III.

"I would do it," he told Cabot. "I wouldn't do it for any other position, but I would do it for quarterback."  

McShay, through Cabot, has strong opinions on how good he thinks Griffin III can be and how the top of the first round might play out:

"

I think he’s every bit worth the [No. 2] pick. I’ve got him as the third prospect overall in this class, and I think that if the Browns want him, they need to move up and get him. I’ll be surprised if he lasts until four, and I’ll be even surprised if he gets to No. 3 because I think that No. 2 pick is up for public auction. I think the Rams are going to get a good deal to move back and can still get a player they want at tackle or wide receiver.

And if it’s not Cleveland, then it’s probably going to be Washington [at No. 6] right behind them leapfrogging Cleveland to get up to No. 2.

"

The Browns will likely have the best package to offer the Rams, since moving down to No. 4 while picking up another high pick or two has to be an appealing deal for St. Louis.

Indeed, not only could they add the Browns' No. 22 pick—which Cleveland acquired from the Atlanta Falcons through the Julio Jones trade last April—but they'll only fall two picks from No. 2 to No. 4, which still allows them to get a top player.

For the Browns, making such a move could be a franchise-altering decision. 

There's far from a consensus among the team's fanbase as to what Cleveland should do with its first pick. Some want to move up to No. 2 to get Griffin, some would want Griffin at No. 4 if he fell that far, while others want the Browns to stick with Colt McCoy and build the offense around him.

You could also make a case for drafting the best defender, such as Morris Claiborne of LSU or Courtney Upshaw of Alabama.

It would be hard to argue with any of those decisions, as each has its own merits.

Moving up to No. 2 overall guarantees that the Browns get Griffin III, who could be a game-changer at the NFL's most important position.

Crossing your fingers that he gets to No. 4 is risky but allows the Browns to hold on to their vast draft capital in 2012.

Building around McCoy with talented players on offense, such as running back Trent Richardson or receiver Justin Blackmon, gives the young signal-caller a chance to turn around a franchise that has been to the playoffs just once since returning to the NFL.

McShay is firmly in the trade-up-for-Griffin camp for Cleveland:

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When you have an opportunity at the one position that just seems to change the franchise — it’s really the only correlation between all of the good teams is really good quarterback play. There’s a reason the vast majority of teams drafting in the top 15 need a quarterback and the vast majority of the teams drafting in the bottom 15 don’t.

"

Obviously, McShay's opinion has zero impact on what the Browns will do in April. This is team president Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert's decision.

Still, it's interesting to hear another person tied to the draft say that the Browns should make the move. Among the media, trading up seems to be turning into an overwhelmingly one-sided decision.