NFL Draft 2012: Browns Wise To Stick with Colt McCoy After Missing on No. 2 Pick

The Cleveland Browns would be wise to stick with third-year quarterback Colt McCoy under center after their attempt to pry the No. 2 overall pick from the St. Louis Rams fell through Friday night, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and NBC Sports' Michael David Smith.

With any shot at Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III now all but dead, the Browns would be better off using their No. 4 selection to improve in a different area of need rather than reaching for an undeserving signal-caller like Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill.

Although the Browns' last-ditch effort to dump McCoy now leaves both parties with a sour taste in their mouths, it makes more sense to stick with the 25-year-old moving forward so that Cleveland may improve the personnel around him and compete again. 

To give up on the former Texas Longhorn after just two seasons would be a waste of their 2010 third-round pick and this season's first-round pick, considering that Griffin III and Andrew Luck are off the board. 

Tannehill may be a favorite among the Browns' coaching staff, but he is hardly the prospect to bring Cleveland back to prominence in 2012 or beyond.

Instead, standing behind McCoy and drafting an offensive weapon like Alabama's Trent Richardson at No. 4 would give the Browns a shot at being relevant next season.

Peyton Hillis' dismal 2011 campaign surely provided more than enough evidence that he is not the running back of the future in Cleveland. Hillis' 2010 season with the Browns was a fluke year. He is a fullback who gets too many carries, nothing more.

Richardson is a legitimate running back, and a bona fide superstar ready to take over the NFL. He runs with every bit as much force as Hillis, but faster and more efficiently. 

If there is any knock on the Browns offense at the moment, it's that they are calling upon McCoy to carry them too much. He attempted 463 passes in 2011 in just 13 games, which equates to a little more than 35 pass attempts per outing. It's no wonder he only completed 57.2 percent of his passes last season.

However, Hillis' 3.6 yards per carry average was the catalyst for that pitiful passing production. His inability to move the ball on the ground and his lack of threat in the passing game limit what Cleveland can do offensively.

Drafting a sturdy back like Richardson in the top five ensures that the Browns get the most out of their first first-round pick in 2012, and McCoy, who can benefit from having a safety valve rather than a liability in the back field.