The Tennessee Titans had a top pick in last year's draft and got their quarterback of the future in Marcus Mariotta.
This year, they have the No. 1 pick again, and again, there's a "quarterback of the future" for the taking in Cal's Jared Goff. While the Titans don't need a franchise quarterback this year, there are plenty of teams that do. That list includes the Cleveland Browns, who have the second pick in the draft, which would surely line them up to take Goff — with one exception.
What if a team trades up to the top and leapfrogs the Browns? There are several teams out there that need a franchise quarterback either to start playing right away or to sit and learn similar to the way Aaron Rodgers did behind Brett Favre for a few years.
One of those is the Cowboys, who have an aging, injury-prone quarterback in Tony Romo who isn't ready to relinquish the starting job, by choice anyway, but will be sooner rather than later. Goff could be the guy to be groomed for that job.
Mel Kiper Jr., the respected ESPN draft analyst, said in a conference call on Monday that the Cowboys are the favorites to trade up and jump the Browns to get Goff.
"I think it's going to be very tempting to go quarterback," Kiper said in the Akron Beacon Journal. "When you look at the team picking second being Cleveland and you're picking fourth and you've got a shot to get a player of the caliber of Jared Goff and be the heir apparent to Tony Romo, you've got to think that's at least a possibility. You could go from four to one and get yourself a quarterback and let him sit, watch and learn behind Tony."
The price the Cowboys would have to pay would be far less than a team further back in the draft order, as the Titans would only drop three spots and still be able to get a stud defensive player, which is likely what they're looking for anyway.
