Ryan Tannehill to Cleveland Would Be Another First Round Blunder for Browns

On the heels of a strong showing at his recent pro day the 2012 NFL draft stock of Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill is on the rise, but if recent reports that the Cleveland Browns are interested in the Aggies standout are to be believed then the Browns may be on the verge of making yet another first round blunder.

The NFL Network's Gil Brandt reported after Tannehill's pro day that the 6'4", 221 pound senior looked outstanding in his workout, and that his strong performance in College Station may have solidified Tannehill's status as a top 10 pick.

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The skill set that he showed was really, really good. He had an outstanding workout. He moves around well, he’s got accuracy and he’s got good velocity on the ball. It’s just going to be how people see him, as to where he’s going to get drafted. He has excellent ability and skills. He put on a show Thursday.

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Brandt's colleague at the NFL Network, Jason LaCanfora, then reported that Tannehill's workout has piqued the interest of the Browns, who possess the fourth overall pick and will be hosting Tannehill later this week, and that sources have relayed to him that the Cleveland front office is seriously considering taking Tannehill with their first pick in the 2012 draft.

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The Cleveland Browns are thinking of selecting Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the fourth overall pick in next month's NFL draft, sources with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

The possibility exists that three quarterbacks could be taken with the first four picks in the draft. This is a time when teams commonly raise pre-draft smoke screens and engage in subterfuge, but several sources said the Browns are monitoring Tannehill closely and have favorable scouting reports on him thus far.

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ESPN's Todd McShay also made his thoughts known regarding the Browns and Tannehill in a recent conference call with reporters, and not only does the draft analyst believe there's a real chance that Cleveland will draft Tannehill fourth overall but per MLive.com he thinks that it's an excellent idea.

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"He belongs in the top 10 and he has a chance to be an elite quarterback in the NFL," McShay said. "To me, (Stanford quarterback) Andrew Luck is No. 1. Then there's a little bit of a drop-off. There's a difference, I think, between (Luck) and (Baylor quarterback) Robert Griffin III. But I don't think the difference between Robert Griffin III and Tannehill is all that big, to be quite honest with you."

"I would have a very difficult time passing on him at that No. 4 pick," McShay said. "I just think that he has everything that you look for in a future franchise quarterback if you develop him properly and if you're willing to be patient."

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However, McShay's ringing endorsement of Tannehill aside using a top five draft pick on the Texas A&M signal-caller would be a risky move, and there are a couple of reasons to believe that the Browns wouldn't have any more luck with Tannehill than they did with their past two first round quarterbacks, Tim Couch (1st overall in 1999) and Brady Quinn (22nd overall in 2007).

For all Tannehill's accomplishments at Texas A&M, including over 4,700 passing yards last season, the fact remains that he is a relatively inexperienced quarterback with less than 20 career starts under his belt, and his relatively high interception total (15) from a season ago would seem to indicate that he has some difficulty reading coverages at times, which could lead to an extended learning curve at the professional level.

That learning curve isn't going to be aided by the offense that Tannehill would find himself in in Cleveland, as the West Coast Offense that the Browns employ would take a good deal of getting used to, and there may well be no team more bereft of playmakers on offense than the Cleveland Browns, which isn't going to make a young quarterback's job any easier.

The Browns could always bring Tannehill along slowly, which might help abate the first issue, but spending a top five pick on Tannehill would do nothing about the more pressing latter need, and at this point the team's best bet is probably to forgo a quarterback in the first round this season, stockpile some offensive talent, and then take another run at upgrading under center in 2013, when they almost certainly will once again possess a high first round pick.

This isn't to say that Ryan Tannehill might not one day blossom into a fine NFL quarterback, but given the present situation in Cleveland the odds of it happening on the Shores of Lake Erie anytime soon aren't good, and team president Mike Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert, and head coach Pat Shurmur would be well-advised to heed the advice of ESPN's Jamison Hensley lest they commit another first round faux pas.

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The first mystery pick of this year's draft belongs to the Cleveland Browns, even though there should be no doubts at all. The Browns have to take Alabama running back Trent Richardson with the fourth overall pick.

Some predict the Browns will select Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, the third-rated quarterback in the draft. But the smart move is to go with a running back (Richardson) who scored 21 touchdowns last season instead of a quarterback (Tannehill) who had 19 starts in college. Taking Tannehill in the top five is a reach and likely wouldn't go over well with the Browns' fan base. In a SportsNation poll last week, 84 percent of voters said the Browns shouldn't draft Tannehill with the No. 4 pick.

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The Browns appear to have been in a prepetual rebuild since their return to action in 1999, so the team needs to exercise caution with their valuable draft selections this season, and even though the team needs to upgrade at quarterback a knee-jerk reach for Tannehill will likely leave the Browns stuck in neutral for yet another year.

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