NFL Notes: Browns, Buccaneers, Raiders, Saints

Browns

The Browns could have drafted Clemson QB Deshaun Watson at No. 12 overall, but interestingly traded to the pick to the Texans and later took S Jabrill Peppers.

“We just thought that the better opportunity for us was to trade back,” Sashi Brown said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Hue and I, we’ve spent some time with all of the quarterbacks that were taken this evening. We did like all of them at certain places. For us, in terms of our plan and building the roster, we felt like it was just better to move back. That shouldn’t be a take against Deshaun, a great young man. We’ll root for him to have a great career.”

Browns HC Hue Jackson was asked when they’ll finally add a quarterback.

“Soon,” said Jackson. “When it’s time for us to get one. Obviously, it didn’t happen today, but it’s not like we didn’t try. I guarantee you that. But I think that time’s coming, and it will be here. We’re going to continue as Sashi said, to do anything and everything we can to get this position better as we continue to move forward.”

Buccaneers

• Ian Rapoport reports that one reason the Buccaneers passed on FSU RB Dalvin Cook in the first round is that suspended RB Doug Martin has been “the most impressive player thus far” at offseason workouts.

Raiders

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie told reporters that he spoke to owner Mark Davis about picking CB Gareon Conley after conducting “miles and miles” of research regarding the rape allegations against him.

doing work that convinced him that picking the corner wasn’t an undue risk.

“We did our due diligence throughout this whole process, and we trust our research, reports, everything we have on Mr. Conley,” McKenzie said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We feel really good about having him join the Raiders, and having him be a great teammate. The research was done. It wasn’t just a gut [feeling]. It was based on research, and we are very confident in all the information we got. I don’t want to get into all the details about who we talked to. The bottom line is, we’ve done miles and miles of research to make sure we were totally comfortable with our decision, which we were. We feel really good about the pick and where it’s going.”

Saints

• According to Ian Rapoport, the Saints were going to draft Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes before the Chiefs traded up ahead of them and were later going to take LB Reuben Foster until the 49ers traded up to No. 31 overall.