John Dorsey and Hue Jackson will attend a combine and conduct a draft together for the first time. (Photo: Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

Will Hue Jackson have more say in the QBs and other combine questions

The Browns head to Indianapolis for the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine this week with a new general manager in John Dorsey, a new offensive coordinator in Todd Haley and a new personnel consultant in Scot McCloughan.

With six picks in the first 65 of the draft — including No. 1 and No. 4 overall — it’s like the Browns’ Super Bowl again.

For the fifth time in the last seven years, the Browns head into the draft with two first-round picks, and for the sixth time, they have at least one top-10 pick. They also have the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, and a chance to transform the franchise with a star player.

This year, it’s all about the quarterbacks, with top prospects such as USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Wyoming’s Josh Allen and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield headlining the field and in the mix for the Browns at No. 1.

The Browns will also consider elite prospects such as Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, North Carolina State edge-rusher Bradley Chubb, and Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, most likely with their No. 4 pick.



Here are five questions heading into the combine:

By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com

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Will Hue Jackson have the biggest voice in his starting QB? (Photo: John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

1. Will Dorsey draft the QB that Jackson wants?

In his two seasons with Sashi Brown, Jackson didn't have much say in who the Browns acquired or drafted at quarterback. Brown traded away the No. 2 overall pick in 2016 despite the fact Brown liked Carson Wentz over Jared Goff in that draft. Brown also drafted Cody Kessler in the third round with almost no input from Jackson or then top offensive assistant Pep Hamilton.



Last offseason, Jackson pushed hard for Jimmy Garoppolo and AJ McCarron to no avail. When the Browns lost Garoppolo to the 49ers at the trade deadline, Jackson appealed to Jimmy Haslam to trade for McCarron, and Brown didn't execute the trade in time. In the 2017 draft, some members of the front office wanted Mitch Trubisky over Myles Garrett at No. 1, and they ultimately agreed on DeShone Kizer at No. 52 after trading away from Deshaun Watson at No 12.



This year, the Browns must agree on a veteran QB to likely start right away, and reach a consensus on one of the rookies, from the pool of Darnold, Rosen, Allen, Mayfield, and depending on how things go in free agency, Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph.

All signs point to Jackson, who will take the combine podium Wednesday at 9 a.m., having a much bigger voice in his QB this season.

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Dorsey has a new supporting cast, including Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith. (Photo: David Richard, AP)

2. How will Dorsey run this show?

Dorsey, who has final say over all roster decisions, has surrounded himself with a strong supporting cast in assistant GM Eliot Wolf, Vice President of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith, and McCloughan. He also still has Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry from Sashi Brown's staff. The Browns have significantly upgraded their scouting ability, and are shifting away from the analytics-based approach.



Questions for Dorsey include:

How much will he take into account what the coaches need to run their schemes?

How much will he rely on McCloughan, who could join the team long-term if this draft goes well?

If Dorsey and his group like a quarterback and Jackson likes another, who wins? McCloughan is already on record as saying he loves Mayfield, and Dorsey has watched most of his games and likes him. But enough to draft him No. 1? Jackson, on the other hand, doesn't generally like 6-foot QBs.

Would Dorsey be willing to trade the No. 4 pick if they get their QB at No. 1?

With an overhauled coaching staff and front office, it will take some time for this crew to figure out how to best work together.

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3. Sam Darnold's turnovers

If the draft were tomorrow, Darnold would have a good chance to be taken No. 1 by the Browns, but it’s still fairly early in the process, and the Browns must determine why Darnold turned the ball over so much at USC.

In two seasons as a starter, the 20-year-old threw 22 interceptions and lost 14 of his 21 fumbles in 27 games — more than one an outing. Three of those turnovers came against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, on a pick-six and two lost fumbles.

“The biggest 'if' for me with Darnold is the turnovers,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock told 92.3 The Fan last week. “He’s got more fumbles than any other quarterback I’ve seen in recent history, and that, by the way, goes back to high school. He fumbled the ball a bunch in high school, and it continued at USC.

“Some of that you can cure. The fumbles in the pocket, the strip sacks, those kind of things, he’s got a tendency to keep his off hand, his left hand, off the ball. It needs to be on the ball. You can learn how to do that in an NFL pocket, however, he’s a bit of a gunslinger. He makes some bad decisions. He makes some bad throws.”

Darnold’s hand measurement at the Combine will be key, with the threshold for most teams somewhere around 9.1 or 9.2 inches. He checks off a lot of boxes, but also started only two seasons at USC, which makes the projection tough.

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4. Josh Rosen's issues

When it comes to the Browns, Rosen must address a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter in December that he'd prefer to play for the Giants over the Browns. To this point, Rosen has done nothing to dispel that report. If the Browns have a comfort level that he'd be "all-in" here, he'll remain in the mix for the No. 1 pick. But the Browns must also have a comfort level that he can move well enough to escape pressure and be scheme-versatile.

He also has some injury concerns, including multiple concussions and a shoulder injury. But some believe he’s the prototypical NFL QB.

“Nobody throws a prettier ball,” Mayock said. “Nobody is a more natural thrower in this class or maybe the last five classes than Josh Rosen. He’s always on balance. He’s accurate at all three levels, but I would take your point about injuries, and I’d take it one step forward.

“When you complement that with the fact that he’s less athletic than I thought he was, he struggles getting out of trouble in the pocket. When you combine the two, his lack of escapability and his propensity for injuries and his slight frame, I’m not sure he can survive an NFL pocket over a 16-game season for any extended length.”

The Browns will conduct private workouts with all of the top QBs over the next month or so, attend their pro days, and bring them to the Browns facility for visits. By then, they’ll know which one is their No. 1.

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5. Josh Allen's accuracy

At 6-5, 233, the Wyoming product passes the eyeball test. He’s also a high-character player with exceptional arm talent. But his 56.2 completion percentage has NFL scouts and coaches on red alert. If Allen performs well in Indianapolis, and also wows the Browns at his private workout and Pro Day, he might be able to sway them. But many coaches believe inaccuracy follows a quarterback throughout his career, and won’t touch one with that completion percentage.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., however, has Allen going to the Browns at No. 1.

"He's got the best arm of anyone in this draft,'' Kiper said on his pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call Wednesday. "He has tremendous size, he has tremendous athleticism for a big man. You saw his mobility. You go back to that Iowa game earlier in the year. You go look at the Senior Bowl, in that first half, that second quarter, his mobility there. He's just got all the physical traits you want. Athletic prowess, he's got the will to learn, he's got great competitive desire on the football field, (Wyoming coach) Craig Bohl raves about him.''

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6. Baker Mayfield's height and character

McCloughan said before the Browns hired him that Mayfield would be his man if he needed a QB, and that he reminds him Brett Favre in the gamer department.

Dorsey has also said that Mayfield’s height — a shade over 6-0 — wouldn’t be a dealbreaker.

But the Browns will have to get comfortable with his size and character concerns if they’re to reach a consensus on the Heisman Trophy winner. As for the height, he measured 6-foot-3/8 at the Senior Bowl. Will it be the same at the combine? The two successful QBs in the NFL shorter than 6-1 — Drew Brees and Russell Wilson — both have exceptionally large hands at 10.25 inches. Mayfield’s measured 9 1/2 inches at the Senior Bowl.

As for the character issue, he’s out to shed the Johnny Manziel comparisons, but at least in the minds of some evaluators, he has a ways to go in this regard. He’s been arrested for disorderly conduct and fleeing the arrest, taunted the Kansas sidelines by grabbing his crotch, and planted a flag on the Block O at Ohio State after beating the Buckeyes. Dorsey seems to like his moxie, but most agree that maturity is a big issue.

“Some teams are going to say it’s not a problem. Other teams are going to say it is a problem,’’ said Mayock. “I struggle a little bit with it because I want your quarterback to be that guy that’s never going to be in trouble. He’s going to work his tail off and he’s going to be your ‘Alpha Dog’ in the locker room, and right now, with all the stuff surrounding him, it gives me some agita, I don’t think agita equals the first pick or the fourth pick for me.”

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7. Do the Browns view Barkley as a top five pick?

Would the Browns draft Barkley with their No. 1 or their top No. 4 overall picks? It’s doubtful they’d use their No. 1 pick on the Penn State back, but would they take him at No. 4?

If they determine he’s in the mold of an Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley or Leonard Fournette — all recent top-10 picks — they’ll likely strongly consider it. But they must decide if they need to spent a top-five pick on a back or if they can get a game changer in the second or third round. At 5-11, 229, Barkley catches as well as he runs. But he must prove to the Browns he’s a special, dynamic runner to be picked that high.

"If you think a running back is a top-five or a top-10 talent, and you're willing to commit your offense philosophically to 20 to 25 touches a game, then draft him,’’ Mayock said. “And look at recent history, whether it's (Elliott) in Dallas, Gurley in LA, Fournette (in Jacksonville) this past year, all three of those guys were top-10 picks, all three teams committed to them and they've been phenomenal.

"This kid at 230 pounds is as good as any of them if not the best, and he's totally clean off the field. He's explosive, he's quick, he's got burst, acceleration, he can catch the football, he can pass protect. He can be a three-down back in this league for a long time.''