NFL Trade Rumors: Cleveland Browns Discussing Trade Of No. 8 Pick To Chicago Bears, New York Giants

NFL trade rumors involve the Cleveland Browns once again. The latest trade rumors from the Browns indicate that the team is willing to part with the No. 8 overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. A report from NFL.com states that the Browns could trade that pick to the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, or Miami Dolphins. What the three teams reportedly have in common is a goal of selecting Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott in the first round of the draft.

The Browns already traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in a move to acquire additional selections in the 2016 NFL Draft. A trade similar to that one could be brewing if the Giants, Bears, or Dolphins feel that Elliott will still be available at the No. 8 selection. A previous report by the Inquisitr suggested that the Dallas Cowboys might be targeting Elliott with the No. 4 pick, but that might no longer be the case. This opens up more NFL trade possibilities as day one of the draft approaches.

In the current NFL Draft order, the New York Giants pick No. 10, the Chicago Bears select No. 11, and the Miami Dolphins are at No. 13. Though all three selections come close to the No. 8 spot that the Cleveland Browns control, each of these three franchises could become paranoid that the other two are going to target Ezekiel Elliott with their respective pick. It could raise the value of the pick that the Browns hold, as it would allow the Giants, Bears, or Dolphins to move ahead of the Browns.

Many previous NFL trade rumors have suggested that the Cleveland Browns simply want to move further down in the draft order to select a quarterback late in the first round. In a draft that many NFL analysts are calling extremely deep, the Browns could find more value in acquiring additional picks from the third and fourth rounds rather than targeting one of the top quarterbacks in the first round. Even after Jared Goff and Carson Wentz come off the board, there are several quarterbacks like Paxton Lynch and Connor Cook who interest teams.

In another mock draft that was just conducted by ESPN.com, Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch fell to the New York Jets at No. 20 and Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook fell to the second round. Additional quarterbacks expected to be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft include Christian Hackenberg from Penn State, Dak Prescott from Mississippi State, Vernon Adams from Oregon, Kevin Hogan from Stanford, and Cody Kessler from USC, so there is no shortage of options that the Browns could decide to go with on Thursday, April 28.

The Cleveland Browns already possess 12 picks in the draft, giving the team more than any other franchise this year. It includes two in the third round, three in the fourth round, and three in the fifth round. In addition to the picks that the Browns acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL also awarded Cleveland with three compensatory picks this year (No. 138, No. 172, and No. 173). That will give the front office a lot to work with as an attempt to completely re-shape the franchise gets under way.

In many of the recent NFL mock drafts, the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Miami Dolphins have been linked to defensive players in the first round. Each of the three franchises has holes on the defensive side of the ball, so it would make sense for the teams to stay focused on improving in that fashion. The chance to move up and draft a running back like Ezekiel Elliott, who could be a difference-maker in the NFL, might be more exciting for fans though. Expect many NFL trade rumors to revolve around that No. 8 pick of the Cleveland Browns until they deal it or make the selection on Thursday night.