A closer look at the positions the Cleveland Browns could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:

Positions of need: The Browns have a golden opportunity to improve their team through the NFL draft, but they have to get it right -- not come close, not get just good players. They have to get it right. With their first two picks -- the first and fourth overall -- the Browns have a great opportunity to bring in a pair of big-time, impact players. The Browns will focus on quarterbacks, obviously, but they also need to be sure about two other players they will consider drafting: Running back Saquon Barkley and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. This draft is too important to miss on any opportunity.

Six players the Browns should key on for their top two picks (first and fourth overall) at the combine:

Sam Darnold, QB, USC: Despite mock drafts that suggest Allen or Rosen will go first overall, Darnold is generally projected as the top quarterback. The Browns have seen him play, but they will get a chance to sit down with him for a bit to see how he thinks, how he views Cleveland, how he views a winless team and how he might or might not accept waiting for a year before he plays. There can be no stone left unturned on him.

Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA: Rosen has let it out that he might not want to be taken by the Browns. Cleveland general manager John Dorsey responded by saying he would have a man-to-man conversation with Rosen, see how he feels and then draft him if the team feels he’s the best fit. “That’s how that works,” Dorsey said. Rosen doesn’t have a lot of leverage, but if he’s at all reluctant about joining the Browns, the team needs to know. It can’t afford to take someone who has that attitude with other good options available.

Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming: Mel Kiper projects Allen will go first to the Browns based on the way he finished the season. But the reviews from Senior Bowl practices were mixed. Hue Jackson dealt with a quarterback who completed 52 percent of his passes a year ago. Do the Browns want to take one first who completed 56 percent? Or does Allen’s tantalizing talent and ability override a sub-60 percent mark at a school like Wyoming?

Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Dorsey downplayed Mayfield's off-field swagger and persona, but Dorsey didn't live through the Johnny Manziel years in Cleveland. The word on Mayfield is that he's a far more polished and accomplished pocket passer than Manziel, but the Browns need to be sure of his character. Manziel caused the team significant headaches; they can't expend a pick this high on a player who might bring on more migraines.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State: Some draft types see Barkley as the best player available. Prior to the growth in emphasis and the overvaluing of the quarterback position, that would mean Barkley would be a no-brainer for the first pick. In this era, the quarterback position is too important, so the Browns might look to take Barkley with the fourth pick. There are a lot of talented backs in this draft, though, so the Browns need to know if his ability overrides the old saying that a team can find a running back in any round. If Barkley is special, the Browns need to know.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama: Fitzpatrick is another plug-and-play guy who could step in immediately and join Jabrill Peppers in the back end of the secondary to fortify the defense. Fitzpatrick, like Barkley, is a high character/high talent guy. Assuming a quarterback goes first, the Browns need to find out about Fitzpatrick to help decide if they prefer a running back or safety with the fourth pick.