Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) - With Browns owner Jimmy Haslam watching from the stands and rain pouring down from the heavens, Sam Darnold did nothing on the field during the workout to dissuade Cleveland from using the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on him.
Haslam, Dorsey, Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley got to see Darnold throw in the elements.
"I knew I was going to come out here and do well," Darnold told NFL Network after the workout. "I think having played games in the rain before, I knew I wasn't going to have a problem with it."
Darnold wasn't the least bit bothered by the weather. His passes looked crisp and on target while his footwork appeared to be smooth as he worked most of the time from under center dropping back into the pocket.
Even with a soggy football, Darnold was able to throw deep at the end of the session with ease.
"It’s a job interview to be honest with you. And just coming out here, I thought I showed them the best version of myself," Darnold said in the interview with NFL Network.. "I’ve been training really hard for this day and I thought I did really well, just like how I would train for any other game. I thought we came out here as a bunch and we got the job done. The receivers did a great job too.”
Darnold wanted to make a simple statement in front of all 32 teams.
“I think just going out and proving exactly what I proved on tape; that I can throw on the run, throw with accuracy," Darnold said. "I think I did a really good job of being aware of keeping two hands on the ball too when I was in the pocket; I know some guys were looking at that. Just being aware of all those little things and then just coming out here and ripping it. I thought I did a pretty good job.”
The Browns hold the first and fourth overall pick in the 208 NFL Draft and Darnold is among four quarterbacks the team is considering selecting No. 1.
For all the attention the workout gets, it is one of the least valuable learning tools for teams when it comes to the draft evaluation process. Quarterbacks should look good throwing a football in a shirt and shorts on air (with no defense). What makes the pro days important is the additional information scouts and other team employees are able to gather.
“It’s been awesome. Just being able to meet all of these coaches, I’m really just living out my dream," Darnold said. "Anytime days get hard, especially at the Combine when you’re up at 4:00 AM for a drug test and then you have to stay up late in meetings, you just think where else would I rather be? That’s kind of what I think about in those moments. It’s special to be out here one last time at USC, throwing to my guys. It was just a great day in general.”
Darnold told NFL network that he met with Haslam and the Browns contingent Tuesday night.
“He’s a great guy," Darnold, who met with the New York Giants this week too, said. "That whole staff is awesome.
"Just meeting with both of those organizations, like I said before those people are at the top of the world right now and I’m trying to impress them but at the same time be myself. So there is a fine line between that and I just tried to find that and do my best.”
That meeting as well as Haslam's interaction with Darnold's parents meant more than what happened on the field at USC Wednesday. The Browns have already graded Darnold's film but finally being able to talk with him - at the Combine in Indianapolis as well as Los Angeles - is critical to their final evaluation as to whether or not he can lead the Browns.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported the Browns worked UCLA's Josh Rosen out privately on Tuesday in L.A. before meeting with Darnold.
The Browns will hold a private workout with Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield Thursday and attend Josh Allen's pro day at Wyoming on Friday.
