Cleveland Browns Draft QB Brandon Weeden; Colt McCoy's Job Security Questionable

It's not surprising that the Cleveland Browns drafted Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden; it was clear he was an apple of their eye for months.

The shocking thing is that the Browns chose to pick up him with their 22nd overall first-round pick, when a glut of other seemingly more necessary players were still on the board. This in a year when Colt McCoy was supposed to be the uncontested starting quarterback.

It may seem like a reach, considering all signs pointed to the Browns being the only team with serious enough interest in Weeden for him to even be thought of as a first or early second-rounder, and it's clearly a move that will divide an already hair-trigger Cleveland fanbase.

But the Browns didn't make a mistake—teams never make a mistake the night the first round ends—and the Browns didn't reach. They made a statement.

This was an aggressive first round for the Cleveland.

First, to make sure they couldn't have the rug pulled out from under them again (the spurned trade to ultimately snag RG3 may have left a bad taste in their mouths), they traded a trio of (arguably) superfluous fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks to move up one spot to draft running back Trent Richardson.

With 13 picks, the three the Browns gave up don't seem so expensive, and by doing so they assured themselves someone who is primed to be a centerpiece of the offense for seasons to come. Richardson is a premier player, a game-changer and a talent of a caliber Cleveland has sorely needed.

Weeden is an insurance policy, to be sure. They don't want Richardson's talent somehow squandered or soured by a poor showing by McCoy, but it seems also that they want to avoid that issue altogether. Or at least how it seems by bringing Weeden on board.

McCoy's job isn't as secure as general manager Tom Heckert and team president Mike Holmgren have been letting on these past few months, as they not so secretly gushed about Weeden to the press while everyone fretted about Ryan Tannehill.

Weeden's publicly gone so far as to say he'd relish the opportunity to compete with McCoy, and that was clearly not hyperbole—no, in hindsight it seems the Browns may have told him directly that they'd bring him on, that no other team wants him as badly and that, yes, he'd have a chance to win the starting spot held by McCoy.

That's not a bad thing. McCoy hasn't started but 21 games in the NFL and does deserve a chance to complete an entire season. But you can't ignore the fact that Weeden may compete directly with him and outplay him.

That means Weeden has earned the starting job, looks like a better quarterback and gives the Browns a better chance to win games.

So it's not so bad for the Browns that they took Weeden so early on. He has genuine talent and his age is no liability in my estimation. It may be bad for McCoy's chances to keep the starting job, sure, but all he needs to do is outplay Weeden in camp and the job is his—as simple as that.

The only thing that McCoy needs to worry about right now is that the Browns have sent him a clear message of their intention. It's time to get back to work if he wants to outshine a rookie quarterback who is also his elder.

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