Barring A Trade, Cleveland Browns Will Have A Long Wait Before Making Their First Draft Pick

For Cleveland Browns fans, the drama of Thursday’s NFL Draft won’t be in the first round. It also won’t be in the second round of the draft, on Friday. In addition to that, don’t expect any Browns drama in the first 10 picks of the third round on Friday.

However, when the 11^th pick, in the third round on Friday rolls around, Browns fans will finally have some drama, unless, of course, the Browns trade that pick.

Cleveland’s front office isn’t afraid to swing for the fences on trades, and their most recent big swing, the acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in a huge trade a year ago, is why there’s not expected to be any Browns drama in the first two rounds, and the first 10 picks of round three in Thursday’s NFL Draft.

The Watson trade cost Cleveland its first-round pick last year, its first round pick this year, and its first-round pick next year. However, the Browns last month traded their second-round pick in this year’s draft to the Jets for receiver Elijah Moore, and the Jets’ third-round pick in this year’s draft. That pick will be No. 74 overall, but it will be No. 1 overall for the Browns in the 2023 draft.

With the Browns, it’s not unusual for things to get a little complicated.

Cleveland had a need for a speedy receiver to stretch opposing defenses, while also opening underneath routes for their possession receivers. Moore has played both in the slot, and split wide, and last year with the Jets he caught 37 balls on 65 targets for 446 yards and one touchdown.

“He has a very diverse skill set, and excellent hands,” said Browns general manager Andrew Berry. “He plays a position of need for us, and the scarcity of his skill set, and the fact he’s still on his rookie contract made him a good match for us.”

The price, in terms of trading for Watson, has forced Browns officials to be more creative and aggressive in both the draft and free agency, as they try to improve upon what was a disastrous 7-10 last-place finish in the competitive AFC North in 2022.

“Free agency is about filling immediate needs, while the draft is more about longer term planning,” said Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry. “Especially when you’re in the situation we’re in, picking later in the draft. It’s important for us to remain flexible.”

It’s a challenging tightrope to walk, because the stakes are so high. In Watson, Browns officials feel they have finally acquired the franchise quarterback the team has been missing for years, but the cost was exorbitant, including, as it did, three first-round draft picks.

“Every general manager must have one foot in the present and one foot in the future,” Berry said. “We have a group of players who should allow us to be competitive in the fall. There’s no perfect roster. Every roster in the NFL has strengths and weaknesses. We want to remain flexible and open-minded.”

It will be interesting to see what position the Browns will address with their first pick in the draft, the 74^th pick overall. The emphasis during the offseason was in overhauling the defense, starting at the very top, with the hiring of Jim Schwartz as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

The Browns have added multiple interior defensive linemen, which was the position group most in need of an upgrade. With pick No. 74, – Cleveland’s first pick in the draft, barring a trade – it would not be a surprise if Berry and his staff used it on another defensive lineman.

The offense, on paper, is in much better shape than the defense, especially with the prospect of getting a full training camp and a full season out of Watson, with a fleet of new receivers able to accommodate Watson’s ability to spread the field, and make all the throws necessary to give the Browns a dynamic passing game, something that has been missing for the last few years.

“You want to come out of the draft with good players, unique players, special players with special traits,” Berry said. “That’s our overarching philosophy.”

Indeed, the act of roster construction is both a science and an art. As an example, Berry used receiver Marquise Goodwin, signed as a free agent by the Browns to a one-year contract, and returning receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

“Marquise is a smaller guy, but he’s got elite speed and really good tracking ability,” said Berry. “(Peoples-Jones) is a bigger, stronger receiver, maybe not quite as fast as some of the others, but he’s got great hands and great size.”