Draft Day Trades: Cleveland Browns

How many times have I seen trade rumors swirling around Braylon Edwards?  

I was mildly excited to get Eric Mangini as our new coach. When he traded Kellen Winslow, I was a little upset, but I understood the move.  

After the trade, I settled down and started getting used to not having Winslow, but when I saw rumors of trading Braylon Edwards and Brady Quinn, I was almost sick to my stomach.

I hate the idea of Mangini coming in and putting on a fire sale with all of our young players who we happen to have built the team around.

So, with that in mind, what are the possible trades Cleveland could make?

First off, the obvious, and most likely, trade is Braylon Edwards. The most possible trade partners are the Eagles, the Giants, and the Jets.

The Giants' trade chips are their draft picks: their first rounder, their two second rounders, and their two third rounders. They could also deal Domenik Hixon.  

I think that Cleveland's best interest would be to take the Giants' first rounder and a second rounder. If I'm the Browns' GM, I don't take the trade unless I get that.  

The Browns could go Michael Crabtree with the fifth pick and then take another receiver with one of the next three picks. I don't think the Giants would take that trade though, as they would want to trade a first and a third rounder, and maybe Hixon, for Edwards.

The Eagles would have the same scenario as the Giants.  

The Jets are a little more interesting. They could go with the same scenario as the Giants, or they could deal Jerricho Cotchery and a second or third rounder.  

Next up is Brady Quinn. Possible trade partners could be the Jets, Broncos, Lions (should they pass on Matthew Stafford), Vikings, or Dolphins. I think Quinn has the potential to garner a higher draft pick, but I'm not sure the higher drafting teams would want to take a chance on Quinn.

The scenario for all of these teams is to deal their first rounder and a possible other pick, probably a third rounder at the highest. The only way I'd be anywhere close to fine with a trade of Quinn is if the Browns took Mark Sanchez, but I think both quarterbacks are almost the same player and same type of guy.  

Both are leaders with strong but not amazing arms, great accuracy, and good mobility. Doing this would almost be pointless. However, the Browns have expressed interest in Sanchez, so it's not out of reach to say they'll do just that. 

I do think the Browns should trade Derek Anderson to a team like the Dolphins, Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars, 49ers, Jets, or Broncos if they don't pick a quarterback.  

I think the ceiling for Anderson is a third rounder, but a fourth rounder is almost too low. One of these teams will either want a backup or someone who could compete for the job.

To make it clear, I don't think the Browns should trade Quinn or Edwards unless they get an outstanding offer, which I don't see happening. I do think the Browns should trade Anderson and get a third or fourth rounder.  

As I said in my Browns Draft Analysis, I think Cleveland's best bet is to go with their team straight up, draft Crabtree, Clay Matthews/Larry English/Connor Barwin, and LeSean McCoy.