CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hey Mary Kay!

Hey Mary Kay: Might the Browns draft Baylor's Bryce Petty in the first round if they don't trade up for Oregon's Marcus Mariota?



-- Pete Young, Sugar Hill, Ga.



Hey Pete: Petty's draft stock rose last week with a solid Pro Day, and may have climbed into the first round. Petty is a gifted natural thrower with plenty of upside, and might be worth the Browns No. 19 overall pick. Like most college quarterbacks playing in the spread, he's a projection, but he has good size (6-3, 230), excellent arm strength and above average mobility.

The Browns have plenty of inside information on Petty from their new quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell, who helped train him for the pre-draft process. If O'Connell thinks he can excel at this level, the Browns might consider him. As for Mariota, it will take a lot to get him, but if the Browns still like him this year as much as they did last year, I see them trying to trade up. However, they might have to climb all the way to No. 1 or No. 2.



Hey, Mary Kay: If the Browns were going to offer a first-rounder for a quarterback, why not take a run at someone like Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots' backup? Even if you had to add another lower pick, isn't he more likely to be a meaningful solution than Sam Bradford? The Pats thought he was worth a second-round pick, and he's had a year of coaching and watching Tom Brady.

-- Henry Pearce, Medina, Ohio



Hey Henry: The Patriots really like Garoppolo and likely view him as the heir apparent to Tom Brady. I doubt they'd be willing to part with him at this point. He was highly regarded coming out last year, and the Patriots like what they saw of him as a rookie. Former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was very big on Garoppolo last year and probably would've taken him in the second round if he had the chance. The Browns are going to have to find their own developmental quarterback if they don't think Johnny Manziel can be the guy.



Hey, Mary Kay: San Diego is rumored to be showing interest in Marcus Mariota. Should the Brownies make a run at Philip Rivers?



-- Jeff Bair, North Canton, Ohio



Hey Jeff: I think the Browns should explore any excellent quarterback they can possibly get their hands on. Josh McCown is their bridge quarterback, and the Browns have no idea if Johnny Manziel can cut it in the NFL. Question is, would Rivers want to play for the Browns? I'm sure he'd want to go to an immediate Super Bowl contender if he could. But the Chargers are saying publicly they have no plans to part with him.



Hey Mary Kay: I have a huge dog bone to pick. I am sick and tired of our beloved media playing us for fools with headlines such as "Browns express interest

in Revis" or "Trade for Bradford comes up short.'' It is just a measly attempt for the front office to have us believe they're really trying to make a splash when the reality is we never had a chance at any marquee names because they'll never come play for this quarterbackless franchise. If you guys had the best interest of the fans you'd spend the opening days of free agency thrashing management for being non-players as opposed to tweeting out false reports in a weak attempt to stimulate the non-existent free agency period that we are stuck with. We deserve better. NOBODY wants to play here. Tell me I'm wrong!



-- Alan Hewitt, Lakewood, N.J.



Hey Alan: I understand your point, but I do think it's important to report on the moves the Browns tried to make even though they didn't happen. It provides insight into their thinking and strategy when it's discovered they tried to trade for a Sam Bradford or a Larry Fitzgerald or that they inquired about a Darrelle Revis. The fact they're attempting some of these blockbuster moves is significant. It shows they're willing to do whatever it takes to upgrade the team -- and that they'll spend the money to do it.

I do think think that some big-name players don't want to come to a quarterback-challenged team, one that consistently loses year after year. The constant turnover in front office and coaching staffs is also a major problem. But the Browns are committed to building through the draft and trying not to get caught up in the fool's gold of free agency.