The Cleveland Browns march into this month's NFL draft minus the second-round pick they used to grab wide receiver Josh Gordon in last year's supplemental draft. That has led to plenty of speculation that the team is looking to wheel and deal in order to recoup the pick.
Browns CEO Joe Banner downplayed that Thursday, saying he won't desperately chase a trade-down scenario to regain the pick without getting fair-market value, per Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. Pegged as a team looking to shop its No. 6 pick, Banner did acknowledge, "If we got offered something that would make us a better team, we'd make the trade."
General manager Mike Lombardi -- hidden away since his introductory news conference in January -- told reporters, "I think you prepare for everything ... It's all situational."
Nobody's saying much of anything, but NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah told me Thursday that teams sitting high in the first round have given off a sense of "melancholy." While this draft is considered deep at a handful of positions, the top of the order doesn't guarantee Hall of Fame-type talent.
Conversely, teams at the back of Round 1 are delighted with the talent projected to be available there -- it's just that kind of draft.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
