Sashi Brown

Sashi Brown won't attend the Senior Bowl this week because he's recovering from back surgery.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Browns top personnel executive Sashi Brown won't attend the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week because he underwent back surgery and is not permitted to travel per doctor's orders.

He should be cleared to travel in the coming weeks, meaning he'll be able to attend pro days, private workouts and the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in late February.

Browns Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry will attend the Senior Bowl, along with the rest of the scouting staff. Hue Jackson and the coaching staff will also be in Mobile all week coaching the South team.

Brown, who took over after the 2015 season as Executive Vice President of Football operations, has final say over the roster, including the draft.

The Browns, who went 1-15, have the first overall pick in the draft and the No. 12 overall pick from the trade with the Eagles that enabled Philadelphia to draft quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2. They also have five picks in the top 65 and are hoping to find some good prospects at the Senior Bowl this week.

The Browns are disappointed that Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson declined an invitation to attend the Senior Bowl, but coach Hue Jackson told cleveland.com he won't hold it against the national championship MVP.

"Obviously we wish he were here,'' said Jackson, who arrived in Mobile on Sunday for three days of practices beginning Tuesday and the game on Saturday. "It would've been a great chance to have an opportunity to evaluate him doing the things we do in meetings and on the practice field, but that's not going to happen, so we'll have to find a different way of evaluating him. He's made a choice not to be involved and he's making the decision that's best for him.''

With Watson skipping the event, Jackson will coach three quarterbacks: Tennessee's Josh Dobbs, Tiffin's Antonio Pipkin and Cal's Davis Webb.

"We've got some guys,'' he said. "Anybody's who's here, it's a great opportunity for our organization to evaluate them. We're looking for football players everywhere so I think it's a tremendous opportunity for our organization to get a firsthand look on these players moreso than most people will because we're going to get an opportunity to coach them.''

Jackson and Brown spent a lot of time together at their first Senior Bowl last year, scouting players such as quarterback Cody Kessler, whom they picked in the third round.