While the Cleveland Browns had absolutely nothing to do with the trade that sent quarterback Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings, the Browns could come away as the biggest winners from the trade.

Since the start of the offseason, Cleveland has made deal after deal in order to collect as many draft picks as possible for the 2017 NFL Draft. The Browns have been a part of several trades that have added to the number of selections they will have at the team’s disposal next spring.One of these trades took place a week before the 2016 draft, when Cleveland decided to deal away their second overall pick to the Eagles. In return, the Browns received Philly’s 2016 first and fourth round picks, plus the Eagles 2017 first-round and 2018 second-round picks.

The first-round pick they acquire in the 2017 draft could now end up being a gold mine for the Browns. With the departure of Bradford, the Eagles will now be starting rookie Carson Wentz at quarterback, after insisting all summer that Wentz would be their third-string player at the position.

For those of us who have been fans of the game for any amount of time, it’s not very often that an NFL team starts a rookie quarterback who has a lot of success in his first year under center. Yeah, they may put up good numbers concerning personal stats, but winning a division, or even having a winning record at the end of the season can be a tough assignment to accomplish for a first year quarterback in the league. Both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were perfect examples of this last season.

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With Wentz starting at quarterback this year, it could be a long season in Philadelphia. The experts and analyst at Sportsline believe the Eagles will take a couple of steps backwards in 2016 without Bradford. The worst case scenario for Philadelphia could result in the team earning a top-five pick, which will become the Browns’ selection.

If Robert Griffin III fails to be productive in his first season in Cleveland, the Browns could easily end up with two of the top ten picks. My last article on the Browns makes it clear that Griffin isn’t necessarily the future at quarterback in Cleveland and if two of the top picks becomes a reality for the Browns, they may be able to finally find a long term quarterback.

Now if they can find someone to teach them something as far as making a productive decision when it comes to drafting, the Browns could be the favorites to win their division as early as 2019.

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