2010 NFL Draft: Will Jimmy Clausen be the Cleveland Browns' Next Rising Star?

Jimmy Clausen’s draft fortunes have risen and fallen over the past six weeks as free agency opened and closed doors for the young quarterback out of Notre Dame.

Clausen recently had his Pro Day, which if the hype is to be believed, was an uphill battle for Clausen to gain Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren’s respect.

Holmgren said during an interview earlier this year that he “wished he liked” Clausen better.

Now it’s never recommended to believe anything a front office person says about the various prospects prior to the draft, but that line was pretty harsh.

ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden compared Clausen to LeBron James and Michael Jordan in the way he performs when the game is on the line.

Now that’s laying it on a bit thick, but Gruden’s job is to make interesting TV, not win football games.

What is interesting is the report from Mike Lombardi, former general manager for the Browns, on nationalfootballpost.com stating Holmgren "warmed" to Clausen after his recent visit.

Since Clausen is a Notre Dame alum, the same college that begat the Browns' Brady Quinn, comparisons are inevitable, even if they’re not entirely warranted.

Clausen completed 62.6 percent of his passes at Notre Dame, compared to Quinn’s 59.9 percent. However, those were college numbers, and the quality of wide receivers Quinn had to work with in his limited appearances the last two years wasn’t exactly stellar.

If the Browns are going to draft a quarterback, specifically Clausen, the stars will have to align right, as it is doubtful Holmgren is going to use the Browns' first-round pick on a quarterback with the potential to free-fall through the round should Buffalo pass on him.

The Donovan McNabb trade could adversely affect Clausen to the point he falls out of the first round. If the Rams decide to pass on Sam Bradford, then Clausen really is in for a long day because the Browns' front office then would go into “Seek Bradford, Draft Bradford” mode.

It’s all speculation at this point, but if Clausen does end up pulling a Brady Quinn through the first round, don’t be completely surprised if the Browns become a lot more interested in him.