CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mitch Trubisky is still under serious consideration by the Browns at No. 1, league sources tell cleveland.com.

Despite that Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown gave strong vibes during his pre-draft press conference Wednesday that the Browns have zeroed in on Myles Garrett, they're still strongly considering taking Trubisky there, sources say.

The feeling on the part of the front office, sources say, is that the Browns are ready to draft their quarterback of the future and might not want to risk losing him if they try to trade up or hope he falls to them at No. 12.

Sources have told cleveland.com that the 49ers also like Trubisky and might take him at No. 2. "Don't be surprised,'' said one.

If that's the case, the Browns would likely turn to DeShaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes. But if they believe that Trubisky can be their franchise quarterback, and some in the organization apparently do, they might want to pull the trigger at No. 1.



As reported here last week, Hue Jackson is firmly in the Myles Garrett camp at No. 1, and so is new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The coaches want a surefire gamechanger who can help them win right away, and Jackson said as much at the NFL owners meetings last month. Trubisky, while he shows promise, will need time after starting only 13 games at North Carolina.

But the Browns front office, led by Brown and Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta, are taking some of their cues from former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, who turned his team around with Troy Aikman, the No. 1 pick in 1989. The Cowboys went 1-15 that year, but jumped to 7-9 in 1990 and 11-5 and a playoff berth in 1991. Over the next four seasons, they won three Super Bowls, and Aikman established himself as a Hall of Fame quarterback.

The thinking in the front office is that the Browns traded down last year -- away from potential franchise quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2 -- and stockpiled high picks with which to rebuild the team. They also positioned themselves to draft their franchise quarterback this year, and are now possibly poised to do it.

During his pre-draft presser, Browns said the Browns have just about finalized their decision at No. 1 and "not much" can make them change their minds. Everyone assumed he was talking about Garrett, widely regarded as the top talent in the draft. But sources say he may have been referring to Trubisky, the former Ohio Mr. Football from Mentor.

"We feel good about where we're going to be and who we're going to pick there (at No. 1),'' Brown said. "We've narrowed it down. We feel good about where we are.''

So good, in fact, that they've rebuffed suitors for the pick.

"We have received calls,'' said Browns. "We haven't resigned ourselves one way or the other. We feel really good about picking at one and I'll leave it at that."

Brown also vowed not to reveal the pick until the Browns are on the clock on Thursday night, meaning the drama will continue to build.

Perhaps all of the Trubisky speculation is a smokescreen to keep teams guessing and drum up interest in the pick. But sources say the interest is real, and that the Browns might not want to risk having to trade up to get him. One source said he doesn't expect Trubisky to get past the Jets at No. 6.

"We're open to (trading back up)," said Brown. "Generally we value picks. ... We like young talent. We've said the draft is going to be the pipeline. So we don't want to get into a habit of turning two picks into one, so to speak.

"(B)ut (that) does not mean that if there was a player there we might not go take a shot. We think we're positioned to be able to do that without impacting our draft too much."

If the Browns try to go from No. 12 to No. 5, the Titans will undoubtedly drive a hard bargain. Last year, they gave the Browns a 2016 third-rounder and a 2017 second-rounder to move up from No. 15 to No. 8.

According to Johnson's original trade value chart, it would take one of the Browns' two second-round picks to move up from from No. 12 to No. 5. But according to the newer Harvard chart developed by Browns analytics expert Kevin Meers, the Browns would only have to surrender a fifth-rounder -- which the Titans would probably reject.

If the Browns do take Trubisky No. 1, they'll be bucking conventional wisdom -- but there's nothing conventional about their front office. Almost every NFL draft analyst believes they will -- and should -- take Garrett at No. 1. ESPN quarterback expert Jon Gruden has Deshaun Watson ranked ahead of Trubisky, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock doesn't even think they should trade up from No. 12 for the North Carolina product.

"I wouldn't,'' Mayock said on a conference call Friday. "Most of this quarterback class should be later down the line, whether it's first round or second round. The only wild card is the Jets at No. 6. I don't think Buffalo's going to take one at 10. They might. The Jets at six is a huge reach for any quarterback. ...So if you get past (the Jets) at six, it's clear sailing till 12 unless somebody tries to get up ahead of Cleveland."

That's a lot of 'ifs,' and the Browns know it. If they want the best quarterback in this draft, they might decide to grab him at No. 1.

Brown has final say over the draft, and if Trubisky is taken first, it will have been his decision. Jackson was scheduled to talk this week but had a conflict.

Again, maybe the coaches, the front office and owner Jimmy Haslam are all on the same page and they'll draft Garrett No. 1.

But it's not the slam-dunk most folks seem to think it is, and Trubisky isn't out of the picture just yet.