Joe Thomas is lobbying for the Cleveland Browns to take a pass rusher first overall instead of a quarterback.

Thomas would seem to be favoring Myles Garrett of Texas A&M.

"I would say you want to go defense," Thomas said Thursday on the Dan Patrick Show. "I think you need to get a pass-rusher."

Thomas' take was interesting because he has stressed the importance of identifying and developing a franchise quarterback. 

The Browns have had 18 starting quarterbacks since he was the third overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Dabo Swinney gave a ringing endorsement to his quarterback leading up to the NFL Draft.

"I'm just telling you, if they pass on Deshaun Watson, they're passing on Michael Jordan," Swinney said. "I'm just telling you. I don't know what the heck I'm talking about; I'm just an old funky college coach. But Deshaun Watson is the best, by a long shot."

Watson elected not to participate in the Senior Bowl despite reports that the Cleveland Browns asked him to. He is a junior but has graduated, making him eligible for the game.

"That's how you change things, you know, change a culture," Swinney said when asked specifically about Cleveland considering Watson at either No. 1 or No. 12 overall. "For me, it's through discipline and recruiting and staffing and all that stuff. For them, it's decision-making. It's who you pick.

"It would be the easiest player [Browns coach Hue Jackson has] ever coached. I'm sure he's coached some good ones, and so have I. But [Watson is] just simple. Very low maintenance, humble, the same guy every day and always ready. Comes to every meeting prepared.

"He's the greatest preparer that I've been around. He loves it. You know, he graduated in three years. This is a driven, focused kid that's been way too busy being great to be distracted by anything. So he's just ready for the moment. He's so prepared. And it's been that way forever."

The Cleveland Browns and Jamie Collins have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $50 million with $26 million guaranteed.

Razorgator receives link on top navigation and submenus on all RealGM pages, and as individual links on team pages. Term shall be for one year beginning on February 1, 2017.

Collins was acquired from New England in a trade midway through the 2016 season. 

"We are going to be aggressive about acquiring talent, and when we had the opportunity to trade for Jamie back in October, it was done with the intent of him becoming a long-term part of our defense," executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said in a statement released by the team.

Hue Jackson said in the statement that Collins is "an outstanding football player and a guy we think can be part of the foundation of a tremendous defense."

Deshaun Watson declined to play in the Senior Bowl despite a request from the Cleveland Browns to do so, according to a report from MMQB.

The Browns are coaching the South squad, which is the one Watson would have played for had he accepted the invite.

Cleveland has the No. 1 and No. 12 picks in this spring's NFL Draft.

"The Browns talked to him and asked him to play this week; he declined," Peter King wrote on Monday.

Jamie Collins and the Cleveland Browns are finalizing a contract extension.

The extension Collins signs with the Browns will eclipse the per-year salary of fellow linebacker Luke Kuechly.

The Browns acquired Collins from the New England Patriots on Oct. 31st for a third round pick.

The Cleveland Browns are close to completing a new deal for Jamie Collins, according to a source.

The Browns have made re-signing Collins a priority this offseason. They acquired him from the New England Patriots for a third-round pick midway through the season.

In just eight starts, Collins finished third on the team in tackles with 69. He also had two sacks and one forced fumble.

After leading Clemson to a thrilling victory over Alabama in the national title game, Deshaun Watson confirmed that he will leave school for the 2017 NFL Draft.

"It's my time to go," Watson said.

Watson was named the offensive MVP of the game after going 36-for-56 for 420 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 43 yards and a fourth touchdown in the Tigers' 35-31 win.

He was a Heisman Trophy finalist the past two seasons, finishing third in 2015 and second in 2016.

"Whoever picks me up is gonna get a champion, not just on the field, but off the field, and just a champion at heart who'll make people around him better," Watson told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. "I'm just gonna go to work, and regardless of my situation or where I go, I'm gonna play my role and do the best I can do."

The Cleveland Browns expect to hire Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator.

Williams' defenses make opposing offenses take "the long, hard route to score touchdowns," Hue Jackson said in a conference call to discuss the hiring of Williams to replace Ray Horton, who was fired.

"I have a vision of what I want our defense to play like and look like, and I am going to get that. That is what I am looking forward to," Jackson said.

Williams had previously been the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator, but after head coach Jeff Fisher was let go during the season, Rams assistants were free to seek other employment in the offseason while the team searched for Fisher's replacement.

"It's very exciting for me to become part of the Cleveland Browns organization and join Hue Jackson's coaching staff," Williams said in a statement. "I have so much respect for Hue having competed against him in this league for so many years. We're looking forward to getting to work."

If no teams volunteers, there are eight teams that the NFL can force to appear on HBO's Hard Knocks this year.

Those teams are the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

A team can be forced to appear on Hard Knocks if three conditions are met: a) it hasn't appeared on Hard Knocks in the last 10 years, b) it hasn't made the playoffs in the last two years, and c) it doesn't have a new head coach.

The NFL has very few teams this season that excel in all facets of the game. Further evidence of this issue shows itself in the fact that there is only one team ranking in the top-10 in both Football Outsiders' Offensive and Defensive DVOA.

Last season, the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs ranked in the top-10 on both sides of the ball.

The Chiefs were the closest team to finish in the top-10 in both Offensive and Defensive DVOA at 13th and 14th.

The New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys finished the season ranked first and second in both Total DVOA and Weighted DVOA.