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Geno Smith drops back to pass during West Virginia University football Pro Day in Morgantown, W.Va., on Thursday.

(Photo by AP)

PHOENIX -- Browns CEO Joe Banner reiterated at the NFL owners meetings on Monday that quarterback is still not the team's focus at their first-round pick next month, but that won't stop them from taking a good, long look at West Virginia's Geno Smith.

The Browns, who are seeking competition for Brandon Weeden, will conduct a private workout with Smith, a source said Monday. They sent a representative to Smith's pro day last week, and Banner said that they'll study Smith and the other top quarterbacks in depth.

"We want to make sure we're thorough about every single thing we're looking at, and as I've said, there's no more important position than quarterback," Banner said. "I don't want to look back and feel like we didn't do our full due diligence on a player that there's a variety of opinions on, frankly."

He repeated what he said at the NFL Combine last month: that the Browns aren't thinking quarterback with the sixth pick in the April 25-27 draft. But they haven't picked one up by free agency or trade yet, so he didn't rule it out. Other top quarterbacks are USC's Matt Barkley and Florida State's E.J. Manuel.

"It's not the focus, and I don't think that's going to change, which is different than saying there's no chance we'd pick one high, or in the middle, or late," he said. "Even when you have good quarterbacks, if you have opportunity to pick up another one, they tend to turn into very valuable assets. But it isn't a focus of what our plan will be."

The Browns reportedly considered former Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on Monday for the 30 seconds between being released by Tennessee and entered into negotiations with the Colts. They've also checked into Bears backup Jason Campbell and he's still a possibility, according to a source. They've also reportedly inquired about trading for Patriots backup Ryan Mallett, although Banner wouldn't confirm it.

"There's still a fair amount of money in the marketplace with a limited number of players that are worthy of it," Banner said. "So it could get a little harder, even though the prices have gone down."

He spoke highly of Colt McCoy, who's currently Weeden's competition.

"I think that Colt brings what you want, in terms of somebody that brings you tremendous effort and leadership and has played and developed, I think, skills that improved as he played," he said. "That's not to say that's the answer, either, [but] I personally have a lot of respect for Colt."

Does McCoy have a legitimate shot at the starting job?

"This is something [offensive coordinator] Norv [Turner] and Chud [coach Rob Chudzinski] will figure out," he said. "But whoever's there is going to be given a fair chance, a fair number of reps, to prove where they're at."

Banner acknowledged that the lack of a second-round pick is somewhat restrictive. It may have prevented the Browns from making a strong pitch for Alex Smith, and it kept them out of the mix for Cardinals backup Brian Hoyer, who received the second-round tender.

He didn't bite on the notion that perhaps the organization's opinion of Weeden has changed now that Chudzinski and Turner, who both love a big arm, have studied him on tape.

"I don't know that I'd say it changed. It probably became more informed, over time," he said.

After Smith's pro day, NFL Network's Mike Mayock christened him a top-10 pick after originally pegging him in the 20-to-32 range. Several teams in the top five are now reportedly considering him, including Jacksonville (2), Oakland (3) and Philadelphia (4).

Former NFL quarterback Chris Weinke, who's been working with Smith on his footwork and ran his pro day, told The Plain Dealer that Smith is definitely an elite passer.

"[Smith's] a special talent," Weinke said. "He's a smart guy, he's a great athlete and he has great arm strength. I know that Geno is a franchise-type quarterback, and I think someone will pull the trigger on him early in the first round."

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