AP

Sam Darnold had dinner with the Browns’ contingent on Tuesday night. Owner Jimmy Haslam, General Manager John Dorsey, coach Hue Jackson, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese then watched the former USC quarterback throw in the rain during his Pro Day on Wednesday.

By all accounts, Darnold did nothing to hurt his draft stock and could become the Browns’ choice with the top pick.

“It’d be awesome to go No. 1, just because I think what the Browns are doing is really good right now, and I think they have potential to be a really good team in the future,” Darnold told ESPN after his Pro Day, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Just based on that, yeah, a part of me really wants to go one. But at the same time, if they don’t want me and they don’t pick me, that’s the best situation because I don’t want to go to a team that doesn’t want me.”

Jackson said last week he would tell all four of the top quarterback prospects that Tyrod Taylor will start in 2018, with no competition for the job. Darnold insists he’s OK with sitting for a year.

“There’s definitely different ways of doing it,” said Darnold, who turns 21 in June. “You can go in as a rookie and play really well, and then you can also sit for a couple years. which is what I did here. I sat for a year under Cody Kessler when he was balling out here. I thought that was the best thing for me, just because I got to learn the playbook in-depth, and then I was able to get my reps on the practice field, and I think that really showed my redshirt freshman year when I came out and did what I did. There’s two ways of looking at it, but I think either way I’ll be successful.”

The Browns have a private workout with Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma on Thursday before traveling to Wyoming for Josh Allen‘s Pro Day.