2012 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns Have Best Shot at Landing Andrew Luck

It's clear now that the Indianapolis Colts are going to land the No. 1 overall pick. It is also clear that Andrew Luck will be the No. 1 overall pick. While it appears as though Luck would be the perfect successor to Peyton Manning's throne, Luck is far more likely to end up in Cleveland than Indy.

Manning is never going to play a down for another team. This notion that the Colts would even consider trading Manning if he is able and willing to play for even a couple more years is ridiculous.

The Colts can't think of where they see their team in 10 years. They've got a guy who is one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Cashing in on the No. 1 overall pick and setting the Colts up for the future while retaining an elite quarterback for the short term is in their best interest. It brings in more wins for the future, more wins for the present and will resurrect the franchise that is currently putting forth a downright embarrassing product.

So who has the weaponry to orchestrate a trade that would send Luck elsewhere? As the NFL Draft value chart will show, it's going to take some serious ammo to trade up, and the fact that teams could get in a bidding war with one another makes obtaining Luck even more difficult.

The most logical trade partners are teams who have two first-round picks this season, as the Colts would be more interested in picks that will allow them to improve on the field immediately.

The Bengals, Browns and Patriots all have first-round picks. Given that Andy Dalton has shocked the world and Tom Brady is still performing at an elite level, the only logical trade partner of these three teams is the Browns.

Colt McCoy is decent, but he's not great. Some will argue that, like Tim Tebow, he's a winner. Exactly how much winning is McCoy doing right now?

He's thrown for over 250 yards once this season. He's a viable starter for teams who are in desperation mode, but he's not a guy who is going to hoist a Lombardi Trophy. He's got limitations, and with Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Andy Dalton and Cam Newton all coming into the NFL and performing at a high level right away, the Browns should jump at the chance to land a rookie quarterback of this caliber.

Throwing McCoy into the package sweetens the deal. He's a guy who could be a great insurance policy for Indy if Manning goes down.

They could also turn around and trade McCoy to a team who isn't able to land one of the talented rookie quarterbacks who come out in the draft. Like the Dolphins a season ago, there will be a team this season who would jump at the chance to bring in a guy with the experience McCoy has.

The Browns have glaring needs at running back, with Peyton Hillis kicking and screaming his way out of Cleveland, and at receiver, as they traded down last season and passed on the chance to bring in Julio Jones.

Manning going down proves just how big of a difference-maker a quarterback of that caliber can be. Luck may not be Manning, but he doesn't have to be to make a huge impact. If the Browns were able to land Trent Richardson and Michael Floyd, it still wouldn't have the sort of long-term impact on their offense that a top-notch pocket passer would.

Loading up an offense around McCoy isn't going to turn the Browns into one of the best offenses in the NFL. Trying to make up for his inadequacies by pumping in talent to surround him with is not the answer.

If the season ended today, the Browns would have the No. 9 and No. 20 overall picks. By throwing in McCoy to sweeten the deal, that would likely be enough to get the Colts to part ways with the pick.

The Colts have glaring holes in their defense, and this class is crammed full of talented linebackers that would be instrumental in upgrading their defense.

Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne were all key components of their Super Bowl run, and the Colts could find their successors in this draft class.

The Colts would also have the first pick in the second round, and judging by their performance this season, it's safe to say that whoever they pick there has a solid shot at being a starter from day one as well.

If the Colts choose to draft Luck, they are essentially wasting their opportunity to make another run at the Super Bowl with Manning and missing out on the chance to rebuild their team and win simultaneously.

The Browns have elite lineman to protect a franchise quarterback, and bringing in a marquee guy like Luck would restore some of the excitement in Cleveland that left when LeBron James bailed on the Cavs.

This trade makes too much sense not to happen. Both sides would be taking a giant leap forward, and as long as Manning is cleared to play next season, the Colts shouldn't hesitate to stay with the guy that resurrected their franchise and give him another shot to take it all.