Robert Griffin III is now the darling of the ESPN world, and the Rams are going to hold the #2 pick hostage for the right to draft him, based on his performance at the combine earlier this week. But before the Cleveland Browns go running out to take out a second mortgage on the stadium to move up from #4 to #2, let’s look at what RG3 did at the combine that has suddenly made him the must-have QB (realizing that Luck is off the market….)

He ran a blistering 40-yard dash time, which qualifies him to play QB in the NFL no question. It also qualifies him to play WR, RB, CB and perhaps OLB if you need a speed blitzer. He wowed critics with a sterling vertical jump on his test. Which is fine if you are running the old Jump Pass 88 that we ran at Grand Valley High School back in the day, but riddle me this, how many of Brett Favre’s 508 touchdown passes were a direct result of his ability to jump? Probably not many….

So, a quarterback showed every knowledgeable pundit in the NFL universe that he is worth two first-round picks and likely a future second-rounder without doing the single thing a quarterback needs to do to play in the NFL – throw the football.

Today’s crop of elite quarterbacks eschew the chance to throw in front of scouts at the program, preferring to throw in the comfort of their own Pro Days. The Pro Days are tailor-made for success for these quarterbacks, as they throw in their home facilities, to familiar receivers and in front of friends and coaches that they have been living with for at least the last three years.

If I am going to draft a quarterback that is going to lead me into carnivorous Heinz Field, take my team into the teeth of the Baltimore defense or face the polished Patriots in the Foxborough snow, I want to see the kid perform in an arena where he can’t ride his bike to the practice facility and throw to his friends. I want the kid to be in a bit of a pressure cooker and step up in a hostile environment. I want to see what he does in a do-or-die situation where mistakes could cost him millions of dollars in draft standing.

If the Browns have to give up the #4 and #21 overall picks to get Robert Griffin III, it would be a grave mistake to make that move. Colt McCoy may not be the second coming of Bernie Kosar, but with the dearth of weapons at his disposal, we just don’t know what he is. With two first-round picks, you can get two key members of a future Browns playoff team whether they be Morris Claiborne at #4 (Joe Haden needs some more help) and Kendall Wright or Malcolm Floyd at #21, or Trent Richardson at 4 and a LB like Melvin Ingram or Donta Hightower later on.

Bottom line is, this team still needs too many pieces to pay the Rams’ price. Now, this changes if the Browns go out and sign Marques Colston…