Written by Thomas Moore

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We are now less than two weeks until the start of the NFL Draft and the rumors, speculation and misdirection are flying hot and heavy.

The latest has the Cleveland Browns reportedly drawing interest in the No. 4 pick in the first round (the first of two the team currently holds in round one) from not only the St. Louis Rams at No. 6 but from two or three other teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the No. 15 pick in the first round.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the clock!

Teams are understandably interested in moving into the top five of the draft because even with Stanford quarterback Ryan Luck and Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III expected to go first and second, there are still several high-end players to choose from depending on the holes you have to fill, among them USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, Alabama running back Trenton Richardson and Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon.

And that doesn’t even take into account if anyone (Miami at No. 8?) is interested enough in Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

As The Plain Dealer article pointed out, the Rams and Eagles may be attractive to the Browns as St. Louis and Philadelphia both have two picks in the second round of the draft. The Rams currently hold pick No. 33 and No. 39, while the Eagles sit at No. 46 and No. 51.

Picking up extra picks certainly has to be attractive to general manager Tom Heckert as the Browns, coming off a 4-12 season that was preceded by consecutive 5-11 seasons, have more than their share of holes to fill on the roster.

Having said that, we can’t help but shake the feeling that this year’s draft is the time to get a potentially elite player to help the Browns get this mess turned around a little bit quicker rather than worrying about stockpiling picks to draft a bunch or really good players.

It’s great that the top of the draft looks like it is going to be six deep in players that other teams are interested in. After all, having options is always better than not having options.

But if everyone else wants these guys, shouldn’t the Browns want them to?

That’s why a trade with the Rams would be the safest bet – if the Browns actually do want to trade. By sliding down just two spots, the Browns would be guaranteed that someone among the group of Claiborne, Blackmon, Richardson or Kalil will be available to select. Plus by picking up another second-round pick, the Browns would have four of the first 39 selections in the draft – including a top six pick – which is not a bad way to go about rebuilding the roster.

That’s why it is hard to see where the Eagles come into the picture. Moving down to No. 15 puts the Browns into the very good player part of the draft, rather than the elite player. And Philadelphia’s second-round picks are not as attractive (maybe if the Browns got both second-round picks), because even though the Browns would still be getting four players in the first two rounds, that first player would be at No. 15 and the last one at No. 46.

Some of the players projected to be selected near the No. 15 slot include Alabama safety Mark Barron, Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus, Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd and Georgia offensive tackle Cordy Glenn. All play positions where the Browns have a need.

But would one of them, plus player X that the Browns would pick up in a trade, be better than one of the elite players? We suppose that’s the million-dollar question.

As for the unnamed teams that might be interested in trading with the Browns, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Dallas wasn’t one of them. The Cowboys already have to face New York’s Eli Manning and Philadelphia’s Michael Vick twice a year in division play and with the Redskins expected to select Griffin III (or Luck if the Colts shock everyone), it’s not hard to imagine America’s Team lusting after a talented corner back like Claiborne.

The Cowboys sit at No. 14, just one spot above the Eagles and without the extra second-round pick, so the same concerns we have about trading with the Eagles applies to Dallas. But Dallas owner Jerry Jones loves headlines as much (if not more) than he likes winning. If the Cowboys call, especially if it happens when the Browns are on the clock, you have to wonder how much Cleveland could squeeze out of them in a trade.

Would Browns fans accept a trade that landed the team a second first-round draft pick in next year’s draft, giving the team two first-round picks in consecutive drafts? Hard to say.

One thing we do know is that the Browns are going to need all the help they can get next season as they will have the third-hardest schedule in the NFL and toughest among the 20 non-playoff teams.

Well of course they will.

The Browns will face team that had a combined 135-121 record (.527) last season. The schedule is skewed a bit because Cleveland plays in the AFC North (aka the toughest division in football) and Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati all made the playoffs last year.

Cleveland will face just four teams who had losing records last season – Kansas City, with old friends Romeo Crennel, Brian Daboll and Peyton Hillis; Buffalo, with new defensive end Mario Williams; and Washington and Indianapolis, which will provide Browns fans with up-close looks at Luck and Griffin III.

It’s already shaping up to be one heck of a season this fall.