Is Cleveland Browns' No. 22 First-Round Pick Not in Play in Rams Trade?

Will the Cleveland Browns successfully trade up to get the St. Louis Rams' No. 2 overall draft pick and thus quarterback Robert Griffin III next month?

It's the multimillion-dollar question that has itself generated far more questions than answers in the search for the truth.

There are a few things that are clear about this situation: The Rams are going to trade the pick, the Browns and the Washington Redskins are the front-runners to land it and the Browns, with two first-round picks, have the ammo to win out should they want to.

A new wrench in the works is the recent report, first made public by Bear Heiser of the National Football Authority and then further confirmed by the Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, that the Browns have taken their No. 22 first-round pick off the table.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the Browns are unwilling to deal it, and Heiser's report says the team has instead offered its No. 4 overall first-round pick, its 2012 and 2013 second-rounders and its (presumably) 2012 fifth-round pick.

The Redskins, the only other team considered in serious contention, are said to be willing to swap their No. 6 first-round pick for the No. 2, give up next year's first-round pick and nothing more.

It makes sense, then, if that's what the Redskins are offering, that the Browns would be fine taking the No. 22 pick out of the discussion. Then, if Washington ups the ante, Cleveland has a powerful bargaining chip at its disposal to effectively outbid it.

With the changes in rookie compensation, the traditional draft value chart is rapidly becoming obsolete. Now Griffin's value can carry with it more intangibles that can either raise or lower the price rather than looking at it in the pick-for-pick, point-for-point way it has been done in the past.

The Browns are better off, if they're really gunning for Griffin, to hold back that second first-rounder rather than offer it straight up. Those analysts who believe the pick is completely not in play, period, miss the mark on that point.

No, the Browns aren't going to trade the pick unless they have to. Of course, if they can get their quarterback and also have another first-round pick, that's far preferable than assuming it's going to take both first-round picks to get the deal done.

Thomas also notes in his column that the Rams would prefer to have an agreement in place before the draft, ideally by the time free agency starts on March 13, when the pick can legally be traded.

So between now and that time, the Rams have the following to consider: whether they can convince the Redskins to give up a second-round pick this year; whether they can get that and then talk the Browns into giving up their No. 22 first-rounder this year; whether they believe the player they want the most will still be on the board by the time they pick sixth if they make the trade with Washington.

If the answer to the first and last of those queries is "no," then it seems likely that the Browns can land RG3 and pick again in the first round. Again, ifs still remain, but as the time gets closer to a deal being made either in full or in principle, the terms of each potential scenario are taking form.

So no, the Browns' No. 22 pick isn't truly on offer right now, but don't be mistaken—it's not completely off the table either.

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