CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns should try to trade up for Marcus Mariota, and they shouldn't hesitate to surrender at least their No. 12 and No. 19 picks to get him.



If they have to go all the way up to No. 2 with the Titans and throw in their first-round pick in 2016, they should do it. The Titans are poised to draft Mariota themselves, and will need a Robert Griffin-like haul (three first-rounders and a second-rounder) to part with the pick.



For the Browns, it's not mortgaging the future, it's making the future. Perennial losers, they're not going anywhere until they find a championship-caliber quarterback. A receiver, a nosetackle or a pass-rusher isn't going to drastically change the fortunes of this football team over the next several years.



An elite quarterback will.



I've talked to several smart NFL decision-makers who wouldn't hesitate to trade up for Mariota if they were running the Browns. Yes, the Browns have drafted first-round quarterbacks in three of the previous seven seasons. But they haven't drafted a quarterback in the top five since 1999 when they selected Tim Couch No. 1 overall.

They passed on opportunities last year to draft good quarterbacks in Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater, and now they have a chance to land one of the two best in the draft. Those opportunities don't come around all the time.



Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who coached Mariota at Oregon, christened him the best quarterback in this draft, even better than Jameis Winston.

ESPN's Jon Gruden, who's studied Mariota closely and worked with him for his QB Camp series, predicts he'll be an elite NFL quarterback.

"I think he's a rare prospect,'' Gruden said on a conference call last week. "I think he has some can't-miss qualities, if you can bring him along and have just a little bit of patience to give him the correct direction. I think this kid, Mariota, could be one of the really great quarterbacks of the future of the NFL.''

Gruden followed that this week by saying on ESPN that he can't understand why the Bucs aren't taking him No. 1 overall.



"I don't know anybody in this draft that can do for a football team what Mariota can do," Gruden said. "He can read the field. That whole thing about Oregon being a no-huddle, dive-option team, that is just a narrative resulting from a lack of information. The Ducks run a lot of pro-style concepts. Mariota does a lot with the protections. I've seen him throw the ball with touch and timing in tight windows....He is incredibly elusive, and man, is he a playmaker and a great competitor. I see him functioning in the pocket, out of the pocket, and if you want to run a zone-read, he'll rip the defense apart. He is like Russell Wilson, only he is 6-4."



And because Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has known Gruden for a long time from their University of Tennessee ties, it wouldn't be surprising if Gruden has shared his sentiments with Haslam.



Even coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that Mariota's football acumen is off the charts, which should make for a smooth transition from the spread to a pro-style offense.



"Everybody that's had him on the board said he's just blown them away because of how he's essentially turned that weakness into a strength,'' said Pettine.



The Browns have also hired Mariota's pre-combine tutor Kevin O'Connell as their quarterbacks coach, and based on what O'Connell has shared with Pettine, he certainly seems to believe that the former Heisman Trophy winner is worth the investment.



Although the Browns seem to think that Johnny Manziel's future is still bright, I've talked to several coaches in the NFL who doubt he'll succeed at this level for a number of reasons. Maybe Manziel will prove them wrong, and if he does, the Browns will have a tradeable commodity on their hands. In the meantime, they have to plan for life without him, and Super Bowls are won by very good to excellent quarterbacks.



The Browns were last in the league in 2014 with only 12 touchdown passes and are consistently at the bottom of the NFL in points scored. They have a good offensive line, a good running game and some good skill players. This wide receiver class is very deep and they can get an excellent one in the second or third round. They need a premier quarterback to power this offense and finally get this team to the playoffs.



If the Browns can't make the deal for Mariota, I believe they'd still like to land Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford with the No. 19 pick. But with Bradford reportedly reluctant to sign an extension with the Browns, I'm not sure it will happen. The Browns might also consider trading up for West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White, whom they had a private meeting with the night before his pro day, if they can't land Mariota.



But they should definitely try for the elite quarterback and give themselves a chance to stack up with the best teams in the NFL. Then they should come back in a later round and grab one of the very good receivers that will still be there given how deep this class is.



Is Mariota risky considering he's coming out of the spread? Definitely. But the spread isn't going anywhere, and most quarterbacks will be projections. Besides, next year's quarterback class isn't expected to be any deeper than this one. Trading up for Trent Richardson and Justin Gilbert was also risky. If you're going to take a chance, why not take it on a quarterback that can transform the franchise?



Draft expert Dane Brugler of nfldraftscout.com writes, "When isolating the physical and mental traits, it's all there for Mariota to be successful at the next level in the mold of a Colin Kaepernick style passer and, although he will need time, he's worth a top-10 pick.''



If the Browns don't land Mariota or Bradford, they can always try to trade for Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon or draft a quarterback later such as Garrett Grayon of Colorado State, whom they flew out to visit with privately.



But the first order of business should be to call the Titans at No. 2 and try to pry the pick away from them.