Myles Jack

If his knee checks out, Myles Jack could become a dominant linebacker for the Browns if they pick him.

(Danny Moloshok, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Everything was looking up for the Cleveland Browns and their draft prospects. The Titans seemed perfectly content to take Laremy Tunsil with the No. 1 pick, giving the Browns their pick of quarterbacks at No. 2.

Then, as usually happens with the draft, everything changed. The Rams jumped up to No. 1 with one of the top two quarterbacks -- Jared Goff or Carson Wentz -- in mind.

Assuming that the Browns aren't sold on both Goff and Wentz as potential franchise quarterbacks and the Rams take the quarterback on which the Browns are sold, it's perfectly reasonable for the Browns to put the No. 2 pick up for auction and stock up. That's not what they should do.

As it stands right now, the Browns hold 10 picks, including five in the first four rounds and four in the top 100. They also possess one of the more valuable and intriguing picks -- No. 32 overall, the first pick of the second round. Because of the format of the draft, that pick will be sitting there for about 19 hours, enticing teams with eyes for a player who slipped from the first round to jump up and grab it.

The Browns will either get a very good player by staying there and picking or they can trade down, still get close to equal value player-wise at a slightly later spot and gain additional picks.

That equal value proposition doesn't apply to the No. 2 pick. This draft is considered a deep draft, but there is also a clear dropoff from the top-level talent to the second tier. The Browns possess the ability to not only take a top-level talent, but have their pick of that elite talent from multiple positions.

Start with Jalen Ramsey, a player some believe is the best in this class. Ramsey is either a top corner or one of the new breed of safety -- the type who can move up and play linebacker at times. The Browns, despite significant investment at the position, are shaky at corner, especially with the question marks surrounding Joe Haden. Their starting safeties at the moment are some combination of Ibraheim Campbell, Rahim Moore and Jordan Poyer.

Don't want to go secondary that high? DeForest Buckner is just the type of player you want at end in a 3-4. The Browns made a significant investment in the middle of their defensive line last season, picking Danny Shelton, who needs to improve in his second season. If he does, Buckner and Shelton could give the Browns and Ray Horton a good young core on the line.

Whoever the Browns have on their defensive line, they need linebackers behind them. Christian Kirksey and Demario Davis are inside, but the outside is wide open. Paul Kruger is expected to rush more and Nate Orchard is a second-year player with high expectations.

Still, sitting at No. 2, the Browns could nab UCLA's Myles Jack. The biggest concern with Jack -- and it's a fair concern -- is that he's coming off of a knee injury that ended his college career.

Still, if Jack is healthy, he's the type of player who could turn into the best linebacker this team has had since they returned in 1999.

Even before the Rams traded up, there was a certain segment of Browns fans with eyes for Joey Bosa. Bosa, who at times was viewed as the best player in this draft, has the potential to dominate from the end position in a 4-3 but would likely need to switch to linebacker in a 3-4. That's a daunting proposition, especially since the Browns could pick a more natural fit at linebacker in Jack or a player who can play end for them in Buckner.

There's even an option now for "offensive line guy" -- the Browns fan who loves to harp on building the lines before doing anything else. Now that the Titans are out of the top pick and the Rams are taking a quarterback, Tunsil will be there at No. 2 as an option to replace the departed Mitchell Schwartz and serve as the left tackle in waiting for aging Hall-of-Famer-to-be Joe Thomas.

The wild card at No. 2 is Ezekiel Elliott. Conventional wisdom says not to take a running back high in the first round but the success of Todd Gurley with the Rams at least shows that it can work. The question with Elliot is whether he is a transcendent talent that can thrive at the position despite the pieces around him or if he needs a strong offense around him to succeed.

That's the same question for whichever quarterback is left at No. 2. It was the question before the Rams took away the Browns' freedom to choose the one they liked best. Whether either quarterback is an elite talent is up for debate. Regardless of that answer, there's too much talent elsewhere at the top of the draft for the Browns to settle on anything less by trading down.