PHILADELPHIA -- The Cleveland Browns will be on the clock for the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday night, but as far as general manager Sashi Brown is concerned, it's ticking on the San Francisco 49ers now.
The Browns have made their decision on the No. 1 selection, NFL Network's Michael Silver reported Wednesday on Up to the Minute Live. Brown told Silver the club settled on its choice two weeks ago, and that "only three or four people in the world," know who it will be.
If it's anyone other than Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett, the draft will open with a shocker.
Garrett to the Browns is the only unanimous projection among mock drafts by six NFL.com analysts. Garrett recorded 31 career sacks over three seasons for the Aggies and could provide the Browns with instant pass-rush help in a division that includes a pair of Super Bowl champion quarterbacks (Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco).
Still, there have been reports of sentiment in the Browns front office for a quarterback with the top pick. If it isn't Garrett, North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky would be the next most logical possibility.
"I don't have any quarterback rated high, but if Cleveland believes Mitchell Trubisky is the guy, and they believe he's going to win a bunch of games for the next 10 years, then why not take him at No. 1?," NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock said Wednesday. "I don't believe it, but if they do, why not pull the trigger at No. 1 and not worry about it?"
Of course, there is always the possibility that Cleveland could trade the pick, but absent that, the decision is made. In another day, the world will know. Until then, a very short list of privileged people within the Browns organization are holding the card.
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