Browns NFL Draft 2018 Rumors: Scot McCloughan to Work as Consultant

Former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan has joined the Cleveland Browns as a "personnel consultant to assist the team in this year's draft," according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

Per that report, McCloughan "agreed to reunite with new Browns general manager John Dorsey for the draft and participated in meetings Saturday with the team's full scouting department."

McCloughan and Dorsey previously worked together in Green Bay under former Packers general manager Ron Wolf.

McCloughan, 46, served as the San Francisco 49ers' vice president of player personnel (2005-07) and general manager (2008-09). He then joined Washington as the team's general manager in 2015 and served two seasons in the position before being fired, with a team official telling the Washington Post that McCloughan's issues with alcohol were a factor in that decision.

That official said that McCloughan appeared in the team's locker room or at games intoxicated on several occasions, though several players told the Washington Post they never saw him drinking in the locker room and "all but one said they never saw him act as if he weren’t composed and in control."

McCloughan had been public about his drinking issues in the past but maintained it hadn't affected his ability to do his job. He since filed a grievance against the team to recoup the $2.8 million he was due in his contract, though Washington has maintained he was fired with cause, thus allowing them to withhold that money.

In Cleveland, he'll join a team facing a formative draft. The Browns hold the Nos. 1 and 4 picks in the first round and the Nos. 33, 35 and 63 picks in the second round. In total, the team holds six of the first 65 picks in the upcoming draft, allowing them the chance to build the foundation of a future playoff team.

Nail those picks, and the long-suffering Browns could be reaping the rewards for seasons to come. Fail to hit on most—or at least some—of them, however, and more bleak days could be on the horizon for Cleveland.