The draft had barely started when we declared the Vikings early winners. They forced Cleveland to trade up, possibly on a bluff.
CBSSports.com reported Friday that Minnesota was indeed bluffing about the multiple teams interested in the No. 3 pick. Browns president Mike Holmgren is aware of that report, but doesn't buy it.
"Contrary to what was written and said yesterday, we had to compete,'' Holmgren told The Plain Dealer. "We weren’t the Lone Ranger in that deal. . . . You don’t want to be up there, really, but we were up there so it was very, very important who we chose there. That’s why we targeted Trent. We didn’t want to lose him."
Ultimately, the Browns didn't give up that much to move up one spot. Whether Cleveland was duped or not depends on how much you believe Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. Browns GM Tom Heckert and Spielman are friends and Spielman told the Browns another team, presumably Tampa, was trying to move to No. 3.
The Browns trusted Minnesota. Holmgren says the team wasn't duped. And none of it really matters if Trent Richardson is the player that Holmgren thinks he is.