NFL DRAFT 2012

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay thinks the Browns will have to win a bidding war with the Washington Redskins to trade up to No. 2 with the St. Louis Rams to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
And if it were him, he wouldn’t hesitate to surrender the No. 4 and No. 22 picks to pull off the deal. The Redskins own the No. 6 and No. 39 overall picks.
“I would do it,” McShay said of the Browns trading their two first-round picks. “I wouldn’t do it for any other position, but I would do it for quarterback.”
McShay said the Heisman Trophy winner doesn’t have much to prove physically at the NFL Combine next week, but he must sell himself in interviews to the Browns and Redskins.
“I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t floor both of those teams with his intelligence and his understanding of the game,” McShay said. “I think it’s going to be a competition between the two to see who can get up there when it’s all said and done,” he said.

McShay ventured to say that if not for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck — who’s expected to go No.1 to the Colts — Griffin would be competing for the top spot on the board.
“I think he’s every bit worth the [No. 2] pick,” McShay said. “I’ve got him as the third prospect overall in this class, and I think that if the Browns want him, they need to move up and get him. I’ll be surprised if he lasts until four, and I’ll be even surprised if he gets to No. 3 because I think that No. 2 pick is up for public auction. I think the
Rams are going to get a good deal to move back and can still get a player they want at tackle or wide receiver.
“And if it’s not Cleveland, then it’s probably going to be Washington [at No. 6] right behind them leapfrogging Cleveland to get up to No. 2.”
According to the NFL’s draft value chart, the Browns’ No. 4 and No. 22 picks would be almost equal to the value of the No. 2 pick, which is worth 2,600 points. The No. 4 is worth 1,800 and the No. 22 is worth 780 for a total of 2,580. Throw in a sixth-round pick worth about 20 points, and the Browns are right there.
The Redskins, on the other hand, total 2,110 points with their first two picks. The No. 6 pick is worth 1,600 and the No. 39 overall pick is worth 510. In order to top the Browns’ offer, they’d likely have to throw in a third-rounder this year or a second-rounder next year. But the Browns’ offer guarantees the Rams will still be able to get either Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon or USC tackle Matt Kalil at No. 4.

“It may seem like you’re giving up too much, but I’d much rather nail it at the quarterback position than sit there at four, miss out on the quarterback, get [Alabama’s] Trent Richardson at running back, Michael Floyd or someone at receiver and still not have anyone to get them the football that you feel great about,” McShay said.
That’s not to say he thinks that Colt McCoy will never be a good starting quarterback in the NFL.
“I think we’ve seen enough flashes, but I think we’ve also seen teams adjust to his inability to consistently throw the ball down the field with velocity and accuracy,” he said. “Those were the concerns. That’s why he was a third-round pick coming out. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick and is one of the greatest of all time, so you never really know, but there’s a reason that guys end up going where they go in terms of what they can do at the next level.
“I think with McCoy, we’ve kind of seen in the last couple of years that he has the intangibles — the toughness, the competitiveness, the ability to move and keep plays alive and accuracy underneath — but the limitations are there.”
Therefore, the Browns should grab the brass ring when they have the chance, McShay said.
“When you have an opportunity at the one position that just seems to change the franchise — it’s really the only correlation between all of the good teams is really good quarterback play,” he said. “There’s a reason the vast majority of teams drafting in the top 15 need a quarterback and the vast majority of the teams drafting in the bottom 15 don’t.”

McShay said he wasn’t that impressed with Griffin’s 2010 season. In fact, he had a third-round grade on him then and wasn’t sure he’d work out as a pro quarterback. But he saw the light in 2011.
“He really grew on me,” McShay said. “I got coach’s copy tape from this year and saw the improvement with his accuracy, with his anticipation, specifically with his accuracy down the field, too. I thought he showed a lot more touch and was able to drop the ball in and make accurate throws vertically. Can he still improve in that area? Of course he can. I think, sometimes, he’s got to learn to take a little bit of heat off his fastball and throw more catchable throws in the short to intermediate [range], but he has really made huge strides as a passer in terms of that accuracy, and it’s so important.”
What impressed McShay even more than Griffin’s world-class speed was his terrific arm and football acumen.
“You look at the athleticism, which is through the roof, his speed, which is exceptional, and it leads to a lot of potential big plays when he does decide to take off and run,” McShay said.
“But what I like about him is he is a true passer first, and he’s not an impatient guy that’s always looking to get outside the pocket. He will sit in there, he’ll hang tough, he can throw from a lot of different launch points, he can snap the ball off and has a strong arm and I love his mental makeup. He’s a leader, he’s tough and, most importantly, he’s smart. He picks things up quickly, and I haven’t found a person I’ve
talked to that says anything but great things about him in the classroom and understanding offensive concepts and just his natural intelligence.”