Rumor has it the Browns were interested in moving back into the first round for this QB

Cleveland has become a source of NFL intrigue following the draft, in which the Browns selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. Sanders' selection and puzzling draft plunge continue to dominate headlines as the news-starved NFL ecosystem hawks over any morsel of Shedeur-related news.

However, two other draft prospects who heard their names called in the first round were of great interest to the Browns, and one of them was another quarterback.

The Browns were interested in a highly touted offensive lineman

While it is all water under the bridge at this time - a few interesting nuggets went under the radar in a recent post by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, related to the Browns and their draft day journey.

For one, Breer reports that "The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans were trying to trade into the bottom of the first round, and there was a belief it was for Josh Conerly Jr., the Oregon tackle the Commanders picked at 29."

This is an intriguing bit of news when viewed through the lens that the Browns bypassed selecting any other offensive linemen in the draft. Clearly, the Browns liked the upside of the 21-year-old Conerly and understood that Jack Conklin (30) and Cornelius Lucas (33) are not long-term solutions at this point in their careers.

The Browns front office should be commended for being measured in their approach, as the need for an offensive tackle while existent, is not pressing. If Andrew Berry panicked and gave up a haul for Conerly, it could've derailed the plan of going into next year's draft with a ton of draft ammo.

The Browns did like one of this year's QB prospects in the first round

Before draft day, rumors swirled rampantly about the Browns' interest in the draft's quarterbacks. Some mock drafts had them selecting Shedeur Sanders at their original spot at #2, others foreshadowed a small trade down and selecting Sanders somewhere in the teens. In fact, many said the floor for Sanders was at #21, where the Steelers selected.

It's easy to surmise, because the Browns passed on all the quarterbacks not named Cam Ward at #5, that they didn't have a first-round grade on any of this class' signal callers. But, maybe, they had their eyes on Jaxson Dart all along.

Intel from Breer indicates that was possibly the case: "Cleveland did try to get back in the first round Thursday night. I’d heard it was for Conerly. But it’s possible—and I’m not as sure on this, one way or another—that they’d have done the same for Dart before the Giants made the move up to 25 to land him."

It appears all of the pre-draft smoke screening worked, as no one had a great read on the Browns' preference at quarterback. It appears as though their evaluations led them to a similar conclusion as the Giants, with Jaxson Dart being at least their #2 quarterback in the class behind Ward.

While Dart carries plenty of intrigue after a productive career at Ole Miss, he was far from considered a top-tier prospect. While he may turn out to be the next late first-round quarterback (Jordan Love, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, for example) to blossom at the NFL level, the Browns were right to be measured in their pursuit of him.

If a reasonable trade-up could've been agreed upon, there would be no issue with the Browns trading up for the former Rebel. However, consider what the Falcons had to surrender - the 46th and 242nd picks and a future first-round pick - to get into the 26th spot, and you might have a similar reaction to the Eagles' general manager, Howie Roseman, when he found out what the Falcons gave up.

As things stand now, few will have a problem with the Browns refusing to give up significant draft capital to select Dart at or before #25. Maybe their plan was to snag him at #33, where they ultimately selected Carson Schwesinger.

The draft played out in dramatic fashion, with the Browns selecting many respected scouts' #2 QB in the class all the way in the fifth round. Perhaps Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel will end up being the Browns' QB of the future. If not, Browns fans will be able to watch Dart and wonder what could've been if the Browns had upped their offer.