Hope Couch likes Brown

ByMEL KIPER JR.
October 1, 2017, 4:45 PM

— -- Tim Couch is a potential franchise quarterback, which is why I believe Cleveland will make him the first pick overall.

His arm strength is above average, and he'll have the chance to show it during his workouts. In the run-and-shoot offense, you don't see a lot of passes down the field. We saw the one where he threw across his body rolling left against Penn State and went for a touchdown. Normally, he throws a short pass -- three, five, 10 yards.

There is a question about Couch's mechanics. Holding the ball around his ear could be a problem; it has to come down to shoulder length. He just has to tweak that a bit. In the run-and-shoot, he had to have the ball in position to throw it as quickly as possible. Get the ball to the receiver and let him do his damage. You don't see the seven-step drops and ball positioning the way it should be in Kentucky's offense.

There is some debate about why the Browns would pick him over Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams of Texas. It's because of what it takes for a team to move up in the draft to get a quarterback. That's especially true when that player is perceived to be an outstanding quarterback.

We saw what San Diego had to give Arizona to move from the No. 3 to the No. 2 slot last year to get Ryan Leaf out of Washington State. The Cardinals were happy to do that since Jake Plummer was highly regarded and helped them to this season's playoffs. It cost too much to get a quarterback.

You can get good running backs later on in the draft. Just look at two of the top backs in the game, Pro Bowl standouts Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson. Davis was a sixth-round choice in 1995, while Anderson went in the seventh round the year before.

A number of fine running backs have gone in the mid-to-late first round and second round. The Oilers grabbed Eddie George; he went later in the draft than Lawrence Phillips. Thurman Thomas and Ricky Watters were second-round choices; Curtis Martin was picked in round three.

You can find these running backs at any point, but you can't find many elite quarterbacks. You can't get that marquee quarterback if you are picking a little bit lower, like spots three, four and five.

If you feel he's worth that high a choice, as Couch is, it makes sense to take the quarterback.

It was interesting to see that most of the quarterbacks did not have success in their postseason bowl games. The top draft prospects didn't win a lot of bowl games. Some of the quarterbacks didn't get a lot of help, either.

I still feel McNabb is a top 10 pick. Akili Smith of Oregon is also a potential top 10 choice. Daunte Culpepper of Central Florida figures as a mid-first rounder.

The quarterback there is the most question and debate about is Cade McNown of UCLA. There is a wide range of opinions about the southpaw. Some feel he's a second-round pick, while others feel he could go undrafted.