Joe Thomas has thoughts on who Browns should take No. 1 in the NFL draft

Joe Thomas has been with the Browns long enough to be a de facto member of the front office.

Shoot, maybe they should just give him the team because it’s unlikely any member of the organization has done their job as well for as long as he has.

Here’s a test of the long-time left tackle’s football knowledge: He wants the Browns to draft someone he would block instead of someone he would block for.

(H/T ProFootballTalk.com)

"I would say you want to go defense," Thomas said on The Dan Patrick Show. "I think you need to get a pass rusher. … You gotta be careful reaching for a quarterback at No. 1 because if they fail, they don't help your team at all. Whereas if you pick a defensive lineman and maybe they don't live up to the hype, you can still find a place to get him on the field and to have an impact. We're a team that needs guys that can come in and start and that can contribute. I think that's the risk of taking a quarterback."

Thomas’ point about the usefulness of a decent pass rusher as opposed to a disappointing quarterback is well-taken, but this opinion might run counter to the wishes of fans as well as the current conventional wisdom that winning big in the NFL is impossible without a big-time quarterback.

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