The Browns have the top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and team captain Joe Thomas doesn't believe it should be used on a quarterback.

"I would say you want to go defense," the offensive lineman on "The Dan Patrick Show." "I think you need to get a pass-rusher."

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"I think you got to be careful reaching for a quarterback at No. 1 because if they fail they don't help your team at all," Thomas said. "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 we need guys that can come in and start and that can contribute. That's the risk of taking a quarterback."

The 10-time Pro Bowler makes a good argument. While the Browns certainly need a quarterback at some point in the draft, and taking one is "imperative," the first overall pick may not be the best time to do it.

Perhaps one of the big three (North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson or Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer) will fall to No. 12 overall, where the Browns also have a pick.