Why the Browns should draft RG3

Disclaimer: When I originally thought of the idea to write this post, Griffin was still a long shot to be drafted by the Browns at pick four. Now, it seems he may not even be available then, and if he is it's almost consensus that Cleveland will take him. But bear with me anyway and listen to my thought process on the whole situation.

Coming into the 2011 college football season, I had heard of Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. I knew of him from the previous year as being a fun-to-watch, running QB. I watched him in the opening weekend of the season when he dicked all over the vaunted TCU defense in a 50-48 win. At this point I thought, “He’s going to be a very exciting player to watch all season long” - nothing more.

Early in the season, my brother, Joe, said that the Browns should take Griffin in the first round, and I literally laughed in his face. As you know, Joe has an incredible man-crush on Cam Newton, and I guess he was the first to see Cam 2.0 in RG3. Keep in mind, this was well before anyone else was mentioning him as a first-rounder. I, like most people, saw him as more of a mid-round pick that will probably end up playing WR or RB in the pros, if anything.

As Griffin continued to play outstanding football and put up ridiculous numbers throughout the season, he started gaining more and more national media coverage. By the time he was awarded the Heisman Trophy at season’s end, he was legitimately being considered a top-10 pick. I was still skeptical, questioning how his game would translate to the NFL.

Then RG3 went H.A.M. against Washington in the Alamo Bowl - gaining 350 yards of total offense while scoring twice and not turning the ball over once, en route to leading Baylor to 67 points while shattering NCAA record after record. After seeing this performance, I finally started to give him credit, noticing that he was not just a runner, but that he can really throw the ball as well. I now feel that he might be able to develop into a good NFL QB, but I still don’t think he’s worth the #4 pick of the draft...for any team other than the Cleveland Browns.

The reason I’m going against my gut here is simple: what the Browns are doing isn’t working. That much is obvious. We’ve tried to sign veteran QBs - Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Jake Delhomme, and they didn’t work. We’ve tried to draft guys in the late first and second round - Charlie Frye, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, and they didn’t work.

It is time to do something different. Go nuts. Take a chance. What’s the worst that could happen? What do we have to lose? We go 3-13 instead of 4-12? Who gives a shit? How many rhetorical questions can I ask in a row? The Cleveland Browns need to switch things up, and Robert Griffin III presents the perfect opportunity to do just that.