Sports news & more from cleveland.com

Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe and Scott Patsko got together on Thursday, a week before the NFL Draft, to get caught up on all things Browns, share our thoughts on the quarterbacks and more. Here's a list of things we talked about: 0:00 -- The predraft press conference and is it for sure going to be Myles Garrett at No. 1? 2:00 -- Should trading down be an option? 7:00 -- Even if there isn’t a surefire top QB, shouldn’t they be able to develop one that they pick? 9:58 -- Why doesn’t Dan like Patrick Mahomes as much as other people? 12:25 -- Thoughts on Deshaun Watson 14:20 -- Thoughts on Mitchell Trubisky 21:20 -- Will the Browns trade for a veteran quarterback? 24:45 -- The “Moneyball” approach to drafting a quarterback 29:15 -- Looking back on the trade-down last year with Philadelphia and the domino effect 30:50 -- Thoughts on last year’s draft and how does it impact how you view this draft? 36:45 -- Expectations for veterans coming off of injury, including Nate Orchard 38:00 -- Can this be a transformational draft? 40:00 -- Are we talking about a Top 5 pick at this time next year?

NFL Draft talk dominates Cleveland, and it's time for an intervention. In this episode of Takes By The Lake, Zack Meisel gets to to the root of Doug Lesmerises' obsession with the Browns' fate in the 2017 NFL Draft, as Takes By The Lake tries to figure out why Browns draft talk is so popular. If you love Browns draft talk, you'll love this edition of our twice-weekly Cleveland sports podcast. If you hate Browns draft talk, you've love this edition of our twice-weekly Cleveland sports podcast.

Well, the playoffs are here and the Cavaliers aren't exactly peaking. There's still time, though, right? Don't we all expect the Cavs to flip some switch and cruise through the Eastern Conference en route to a challenging NBA Finals matchup? No? Bueller? Chris Fedor joins Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel on the latest episode of Takes by the Lake, a Cavs playoff preview, as they forecast the postseason, attempt to identify the point of the regular season, and discuss which Eastern Conference opponent might be the team's biggest threat.

QBs in the 2017 NFL Draft got a bad rap at the start of the draft process, and there is no obvious No. 1 pick in the group. But there are enough quality options that the Browns should take one of them with the No. 12 pick in the first round, and if they don't, that may be hard for fans to take. In this edition of Takes By The Lake, the cleveland.com sports podcast, Scott Dryden joins us with a unique perspective. He's a long-time Browns fan who has branched out as a draft analyst himself, and he breaks down the quarterback draft options both as a fan and someone who has studied all of them. The conclusion? Get a QB now, or else.

Dennis Manoloff talks Cleveland Indians and Cavaliers with host Nick Camino on WTAM 1100.

No matter which quarterback the Browns take in this year's draft, he will need some time to develop. Is there still such a thing though as development time in the NFL? Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe recorded a podcast Thursday to catch up on Browns news, and that's a topic we discussed towards the end. Before that, we also got into some other topics, including: - The possibility of a safety at No. 12, even if Myles Garrett is the top pick. (2:00 mark) - Joe Mixon visiting the Browns. (3:25) - Brian Kelly's comments on DeShone Kizer. (9:15) - Could they take a quarterback in the first round? (11:50) - Thoughts on all of the top four quarterbacks in this draft class. (16:10) - Are there real concerns over Garret as the top pick? (24:47) - Would either of us be willing to trade for AJ McCarron? (30:30) - Development time with quarterbacks. (40:35)

Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech could wind up as the most logical quarterback for the Cleveland Browns to select in the 2017 NFL Draft, and in episode 25 of Takes By The Lake, three NFL Draft analysts explain why that could happen. Zack Meisel and Doug Lesmerises are joined by Benjamin Allbright, Ian Wharton and Ben Fennell to examine the Red Raiders QB. One analyst has him mocked as the No. 2 pick in the draft and another is projecting him to the Browns. While Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer have been major considerations in Cleveland, don't leave out Mahomes, who here draws comparisons to Brett Favre as a QB prospect and is explained as having an arm just short of Aaron Rodgers.

Which Ohio State Buckeyes should the Cleveland Browns be looking at in the 2017 NFl Draft? In Episode 24 of Takes By The Lake, our twice-a-week Cleveland sports podcast, Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel talk with cleveland.com OSU writer Bill Landis about Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley, Curtis Samuel and other Buckeyes that could fit in Cleveland. We also look at whether the Browns should have drafted Ezekiel Elliott or Joey Bosa out of Ohio State a year ago and analyze just what kind of NFL production Ohio State's NFL rookie class put up in 2016.

We have 10 burning questions -- OK, so maybe the questions are closer to lukewarm -- to preview the Indians' 2017 season, which begins on Monday. Paul Hoynes joins Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel to banter about where the Tribe will finish in 2017, after the team's thrilling postseason run to Game 7 of the World Series. Are there any viable threats in the AL Central? How will Terry Francona use Andrew Miller? Who will surprise? Who will disappoint? Hopefully this podcast won't.

Baseball season is around the corner, with Opening Day a week away. We'll have a behind-the-scenes look at Game 7 and its aftermath this week on cleveland.com, but for now, Zack and Doug look back on the epic contest and discuss what it means for the Tribe moving forward. First, did the Indians choke away the World Series, or did a short-handed team simply run out of gas? Was it the first chapter of a lengthy story, or a main chapter that will have the franchise kicking itself for a long time? Zack shares some inside stories from the upcoming documentary/oral history, and the guys debate whether the 2016 Fall Classic was the Cubs' story to tell, or whether the Indians deserved more of the limelight.

Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe got together on Wednesday to talk all things Browns and NFL Draft. Topics we covered included Mitchell Trubisky's pro day, whether Myles Garrett is as sure a thing as everyone thinks and what to expect at next weeks owners meetings.

On Takes By The Lake, Browns writer Mary Kay Cabot debates Doug Lesmerises on the idea of whether the Browns are really on track with a plan. Doug believes going 1-15 in 2016 was step one in a planned rebuild, and that means this plan is on track, which should keep people hope for the 2017 NFL Draft. Mary Kay believes 1-15 was an unfortunate accident, which would give people less hope for the draft and whatever this front office is doing in trying to reshape the Browns. Zack Meisel moderates it all on our twice-weekly Cleveland sports podcast, so listen and decide what you think of the Browns future based on what they meant or didn't mean to do in the past.

NBA writer Brian Windhorst from ESPN joins Takes By The Lake to go inside LeBron James' return to Cleveland, how many more years James will play and what LeBron plans for after his playing days. Windhorst, the former Cavs writer for The Plain Dealer, has a book on LeBron, written with Dave McMenamin, coming out in April and Doug Lesmerises talked with Brian about how that book came to be and what he likes most about covering the NBA. Great insight on James from the reporter who has covered him longer than anyone.

Dennis Manoloff talks NCAA Tournament and the Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers and Indians with Nick Camino of WTAM/1100.'

NFL analyst Cian Fahey tweeted on the first day of free agency that he liked the Browns moves, and their "free thinking" was allowing them to approach building a team in a different way. Now, Fahey joins Takes By The Lake for a full episode from his home in Cork, Ireland, to talk about the Browns free agent signings, Kenny Britt vs. Terrelle Pryor, why Brock Osweiler is so bad, why he thinks the Browns go about things in a different way, whether he would trade for Jimmy Garoppolo and when he thinks the Browns could be ready to contend for the playoffs. It's a must listen for Browns wanting to know about how Cleveland is trying to build a team.