2018 NFL Draft Rumors: GMs Tell Todd McShay They Heard Josh Allen to Browns at 1

The Cleveland Browns hold the No. 1 pick in this week's NFL draft, and the prevailing belief is that the team will use the selection on a quarterback.

The list of possibilities includes USC's Sam Darnold, UCLA's Josh Rosen, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Wyoming's Josh Allen. And ESPN's draft insider, Todd McShay, is hearing Allen's name come up frequently:

"General manager John Dorsey is playing this one close to the vest. Every time I ask anyone I trust in the league, personnel directors and GMs don't know what the Browns are doing. I've heard from GMs further down the board that they've heard the pick at No. 1 will be QB Josh Allen, but they're not sure. The majority of reactions I've received are some form of: 'I keep hearing Allen, and I'm surprised.' It will be either Allen or Sam Darnold at No. 1."

If the pundits and rumors are to be believed, it appears it will come down to either Allen or Darnold.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. believes Allen will be the pick. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network has said his gut feeling is that the Browns will go with Darnold. Peter King of the MMQB also went with Darnold, noting, "Someone I trust, who is very often right and is very well-connected, told me Sunday it's not Allen."

And B/R's Matt Miller sees a scenario where either Allen or Darnold go No. 1, writing, "The Browns could take Allen at No. 1 overall and end his draft night wait early. And that's a scenario many in the NFL do believe could happen. One source I spoke to this week downright thinks it'll happen."

He added, however, that "the expectation right now is that Darnold goes first."

If Allen's the pick, it will be based on his upside. As Kiper wrote, "Allen has a high ceiling. He has a rocket arm. He has freakish talent."

He added that "NFL teams love him. They love his tools, even if he's raw."

Darnold would perhaps be the safer pick. He faced better competition in college in the Pac-12, and while he needs to clean up his turnovers, he is more accurate and polished than Allen. So do the quarterback-needy Browns swing for the fences and hope Allen lives up to his superstar potential? Or do they play it a bit more safe and go with Darnold, who still has the ability to be an excellent NFL quarterback?

The answer remains unclear, and it will define the foreseeable future of Browns football.