Written by David Regimbal

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With the No. 6 pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns are in a great position to add an elite football player to their roster. For Mike Holmgren and the coaching staff, that might not be enough.

The National Football Authority is reporting that the Browns and the Minnesota Vikings are discussing a potential first round trade.

Unlike the 2009 draft where the Browns traded their number five pick away for additional selections later in the draft, this potential deal with the Vikings would allow the Browns to keep the No. 6 pick, but would also give Cleveland the No. 12 pick that Minnesota currently has. In exchange for Minnesota’s first round pick, the Browns would give the Vikings their second round pick (No. 37 overall) in addition to their first round pick in the 2012 draft.

Obviously this is just talk, but it’s possible to see why the Browns would want to do this if the right players were still available at No. 6 and No. 12.  For instance -- if the Browns could snag cornerback Patrick Peterson sixth overall, they would be ignoring their desperate need for a game-changing wide receiver. But if Julio Jones, the outstanding receiver from Alabama, was still available when Minnesota selects at No. 12 -- the Browns could possibly gain two elite football players in the span of about 30 minutes.

That of course means the Browns wouldn’t select another player until the third round. The defensive line is another huge area of need for Cleveland, and it's hard to imagine the coaching staff finding a defensive lineman who can make an immediate impact in round three. It’s possible that you could add some depth with that pick, but the Browns could turn to free agency to find their new pass rusher.