@StumpTownStu

I think that was more the media speculating about if, and to what extent, the tweets mattered.  Not very many scouts or GMs would have made Allen the guy picked in front of Mayfield then.

But you could be right and the organization would never admit it.

We just have to go with what they DID say was their reasoning.  It is most believable -- because most of us felt that way at the time.  

Those tweets were a game changer. I remember thinking, "Oh my god, the Browns are going to play themselves." It was literally the morning of the draft.

I remember the tweets as well.  But you have to remember these GMs realize these are kids and do and say things on social media, etc. that they can overlook.  I mean we believe in second chances, etc. as well.  Look at some of the guys that do get drafted -- Mixon, etc.

I really think the pro-Allen guys were the ones that thought the tweets made the difference -- they didn't.

The week leading up to the draft the idea they were going with Darnold was out there, etc.

For example:

The oddsmakers disagree wirh you ..

Before the tweets Allen was heavily juiced to to go in the top 3 ( from my old school notebooks it was -325 ) 

After the tweets +155 

@DoubleUp4Life

 Cool -- maybe you guys are correct and that swayed them.  I can only go with the folks I know and the past articles now that lead up to the draft.  It was not like this was an Andrew Luck talent and Allen was a clearcut #1 pick -- he was not.  So there was a lot of speculation on which QB they were going with. 

Do you have any quotes on that -- I will look and see if there are.  I just know they had looked very closely at all the QBs leading up to that draft and had narrowed it down to 3 and were going back and forth, etc.

So, not me the oddsmakers were disagreeing with -- but a lot more guys leading up to draft day.

@Raiders22

 May 1st, after the draft. Of course teams are gonna try to spin narratives and make their decision seem based on football and not PR but if you followed the lead up to the draft, all the way up to the days before the draft, and then the morning of the draft, everybody assumed the Browns would draft Allen. Tweets come out morning of. The Browns draft Baker. It's like if you have two prospective mates. You're more attracted to one. You think she will give you better babies. Maybe she'll be better in the sack. Then you find out she has bad credit and past shoplifting charges. You're gonna marry the safe choice. You'll never go and admit that you were really into the other chick. You'll doubt everything that you loved about your now wife. If the Browns were so in love with Baker, Baker wouldn't known he was the first pick weeks before the draft. Everybody would have known. Even in cases where there is a legit question of who the consensus top QB is a la Peyton Manning v. Ryan Leaf, Cam Newton v. Blaine Gabbert, there's never REALLY a question of who the top guy is. Rewind back, for those who were around and into football back then, for all the hoopla made about it leading up to the draft, did anyone ever actually believe that the Colts were taking Ryan Leaf? Fuck no!

Josh Allen was the projected top QB in the final days leading up to the draft, even after regressing a bit in his senior season. Any questions about his accuracy were dwarfed by both his own measurables, his height, hand size, arm strength, athleticism, etc. and dwarfed by Baker's own questions. His lack of size, his off field antics, etc.

Bottom line is Josh Allen would've been a Brown if not for some old tweets. And I promise you the Brown ownership regrets punking out. The Bills, on the other hand, said, "This kid is a legit 6'5" with big hands and we play outside in Buffalo.

The issue is EVERYBODY did NOT assume that.  That was my point.  It was up in the air -- at best.  Most folks thought he was already 3rd place.

For sure there was speculation Leaf.

Josh Allen might be No. 1 pick of NFL draft, but he's not among our top 40 prospects

No, I didn't forget about Josh Allen.

Just two days from the NFL draft, it's impossible to overlook the Wyoming quarterback. Prospects are too often depicted as "polarizing," yet that label seems apt for Allen given the gulf between his backers and skeptics.

Seen as a likely top-five pick and maybe even the leading candidate for the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall selection, Allen has a wealth of readily evident physical tools. At 6-5 and 237 pounds, he can uncork deep throws with ease and looks comfortable doing so on the run.

Yet his production in college was more than lacking and left many wondering why he so regularly struggled to handle Mountain West Conference competition.

Omitting Allen from my list of top 40 prospects in the 2018 NFL draft was neither an intended slight nor an oversight. Rather, it seemed the best way to establish how he truly stands as a player at this time: a project who, while offering considerable upside, presents serious questions about whether he will be able to fully capitalize on his physical gifts.

Part of the case for Allen is that the right staff can unlock his ability and help make those highlight-reel throws his baseline. This is the kind of "why don't they make the whole plane out of the black box" kind of thinking, however, that often leads to regime changes. Allen infamously completed just 56% of his passes at Wyoming, a mark falling well short of expectations given the talent level he routinely faced.

Of the 27 quarterbacks drafted in the first round throughout the last 10 years, only former Tennessee Titans pick Jake Locker had a lower completion rate in college (55.4%). Josh Freeman and Matt Ryan were the only other two under 60%, but Ryan's stats belied his clear proficiency as a passer in the short-to-intermediate area.

That one mark alone, of course, can't tell the full story about any prospect's overall accuracy. But the track record of comparable quarterbacks has shown these issues aren't easily cleaned up.

"Bottom line is the accuracy usually just doesn't jump five points," NFL Network analyst Charles Davis told USA TODAY Sports. "You get to the NFL and the windows are tighter, and the guys are quicker. You don't become a more accurate thrower, as a general rule."

Allen told Pro Football Talk Live recently that he believes criticism about his accuracy is overblown, and that working with private coach Jordan Palmer has helped him with footwork he described as "jacked." Improving the mechanics of his delivery will no doubt help, but his ball placement issues are just one symptom of a larger problem.

According to Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Focus, Allen had a passer rating of 73.4 when under pressure — well below the other top quarterbacks in the class and even the NCAA-wide average of 90. As he repeatedly struggled to identify blitzes and go through his progression in a speedy manner, he too often settled for dangerous throws and ended up with an interception rate of one per 30.9 passes throughout his career.

To be fair, Allen has faced a level of scrutiny heavy even for a top quarterback in the NFL draft, as his high school completion rate was used by some to highlight concerns. He's also faced comparisons to the likes of Kyle Boller, the former Ravens first rounder who completed just 47.8% of his passes. Others have wondered if he is at risk of becoming the next Christian Hackenberg, who has yet to play a single down for the Jets two years after being selected in the second round.

"Josh is a much better player — I don't think it's close with him and Hackenberg," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah told USA TODAY Sports. "But some of the rawness, there's a similarity there."

The right coaching staff might be able to mold Allen into the player he needs to become. With time to develop, perhaps he will translate his impressive pure throwing ability into a long career as a high-level starter.

Or maybe it's best to keep expectations tempered — at least for now.

These are folks 'speculating' BEFORE the draft--it was NOT assumed, largely, by the GMs and scouts that the Browns were going with Allen.

People forget how talented Leaf was: