NFL Rumors: Cleveland Browns Must Target Brandon Weeden with 2nd Pick in Round 1

With the 22nd pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns better select Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden. 

Sure, they have more glaring needs on offense than QB, but there is not another player at No. 22 that will add more wins to the bottom line than Weeden. Incumbent QB Colt McCoy is a flawed player better suited to be a backup than a starter. 

To their credit, this is all a reality the Browns appear to have realized and accepted. 

The Rumors 

Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer offered up this quote from Weeden when asked if the Browns had shown any interest in him. 

"

Yeah, they have. You never how it's going to go, but I feel really good about how everything's gone with the Browns throughout this whole process. It would be exciting if I ended up there.

"

Cabot adds that Weeden is one of the players the Browns are considering their pick at either 22 or 37. 

The Browns must turn that consideration into a reality, and they need to do that at No. 22.

Why Browns Must Take Weeden with No. 22

Just to get this out of the way, the Browns have to use the 22nd pick on Weeden because he is not going to be around at No. 37. 

Weeden seems to be universally regarded as the fourth-best QB in this draft. The three that are graded higher will be long gone by No. 22. There is no way that the draft will go from the early parts of the first round to No. 37 before another QB is taken. 

So now that that's settled, let's take a look at why they need Weeden on the roster. The ceiling for Colt McCoy as an NFL QB is as a game manager. He is never going to be a plus starting QB in this league. 

Last season, McCoy had a 74.6 QB rating with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed only 57.2 percent of his passes for 5.9 yards per pass. 

Those numbers are in line with what he did in eight NFL games as a rookie QB. In fact, his QB rating is one-tenth of a point away from being identical for his two seasons. 

It's not like the Browns have surrounded him with a wealth of talent, and there is little doubt that that has held back his numbers. There is also little doubt that McCoy has done much of anything to make his teammates better. 

This offense needs plenty of upgrades, but what is the point of bringing in enhanced parts to make your car go fast if the person driving the car is not a good enough driver to ever exceed 25 MPH? 

Weeden is a more accurate pass with a stronger arm. He has similar mobility, and—despite being three years older—has a higher ceiling.