We might not be able to declare a winner in Wednesday’s big trade between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, just like we likely can’t for the Tennessee Titans-Los Angeles Rams deal, for another three years or more. But that doesn’t mean there were not immediate winners in these deals: Namely, the quarterbacks. They always seem to win, but still. Their value can’t be overstated. [ Follow Yahoo Sports draft expert Eric Edholm on Facebook and Twitter ] This pre-draft buildup proves it. And just as Jared Goff and Carson Wentz are immediate winners by going first and second in the draft, in whatever order, so too are the other quarterbacks in this class. Paxton Lynch, moving on up. Perhaps the same for Connor Cook, Dak Prescott, heck even Christian Hackenberg … We now know quarterbacks are going 1-2. That same thing happened last year, with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But the next QB off the board wasn’t until pick No. 75 when the New Orleans Saints took Garrett Grayson. Only seven quarterbacks went in the entire 2015 draft, which was the fewest since 1998 — when Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf went 1-2, and there was another big drop to the third one taken, Charlie Batch at No. 60. This draft is not like those. We could have seven go in the first three rounds, easily. Lynch now could be a top-10 pick. Cook could be a late first-rounder, and we wouldn’t be shocked if he creeps into the middle part of Round 1. Hackenberg and Cardale Jones are two incredibly gifted but frustrating prospects to break down. But is anyone ruling them out as top-50 picks now? The Rams and Eagles traded up for Goff/Wentz and Wentz/Goff, and now someone is likely going to have to trade up for Lynch. How far? Let’s start at No. 6, owned by the Baltimore Ravens. They seem like a team that could move down for the right price, and few are better at manipulating the board and adjusting their approach than Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome. Here’s betting he sees almost as much value in the late teens and early 20s are he does where he’s picking now. And where is Lynch happening to be today on his final NFL team visit? That would be the Baltimore Ravens. No, they’re not drafting Joe Flacco’s replacement, but there’s enough of an illusion — Flacco’s ACL, his massive contract — for Ozzie to turn that into a winning deal. Next would be the San Francisco 49ers. They’re out on Goff and Wentz now, so trading down makes a lot of sense. Would Muhammad Wilkerson and the New York Jets’ No. 20 overall pick get it done? If not, it would be close. The 49ers are flush with cap space to sign the disgruntled and contract-hungry defensive lineman and could have a pretty nice defensive front with Wilkerson, Ian Williams and Arik Armstead. Then they could turn around and grab a game-changing receiver at 20, which is likely right before where the run at that position could start. The Browns at 8 also could look to trade down. Staying put and drafting Lynch is one option, but they might be able to slide down to 15 — the Titans are there, wanting to move back into the top 10 — and grab Cook. After all, he grew up 17 miles from the facility, was a Browns fan and you know what happened the last time the Browns passed up on a big, local kid with a winning background and a chip on his shoulder high in the draft. Yep: Ben Roethlisberger. It all feels a little rich, doesn’t it? Goff and Wentz the first two picks. Lynch in the top 10. Cook just below that. Jones, who was benched, and Hackenberg, who had trouble completing screen passes at times — these are high draft picks? But with the game as QB-centric as it is now, and with teams feeling naked if they don’t have a young quarterback to develop, the price tag becomes seemingly exorbitant. But how much would teams pay for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson or Cam Newton if they were available for a trade? Easily double what the Rams or Eagles paid. So half of that price for a chance on getting a franchise QB doesn’t seem so wild when you think about it that way. It’s the same with the draft. We kill the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars for taking Christian Ponder or Blaine Gabbert in the top 12, but that’s because they didn’t work out as expected. Had those teams taken Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick, it might not have looked as dumb (even with Kaepernick’s current state, he was once considered to be an extremely valuable asset after coming up five yards short of a Super Bowl). Is taking Lynch at No. 6 nuts? Again, check back in 3-4 years. We don’t know now. But we do know that Lynch and the next wave of quarterbacks are almost certain to be winners based on these trades at 1 and 2. The slots to land them just went up considerably. – - – - – - – Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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