The Cleveland Browns have had a number of important drafts over the past decade or so, and arguably the most important one was 2018. Cleveland had the first and fourth overall picks in that class, which were used to take Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward, who is still the heart and soul of this defense almost a decade later.
Mayfield, on the other hand, was perhaps cast aside too early and is now the franchise quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Browns have been unable to generate any sort of consistent QB play since trading him. Taking the Heisman winner first overall wasn’t exactly a bold move, but if the Browns could have a do-over, most would go a different way given the other incredible talents that were on the board.
Todd Haley, the Browns offensive coordinator in 2018, recently appeared on The Dan Le Batard show to talk about that draft. He revealed that he told ownership to go in a slightly different direction as opposed to taking Mayfield and Ward.
“We’re talking Jenga here. The first Jenga piece was we had the first and fourth pick in that draft. We visited with everybody. All the quarterbacks, which was obviously what we needed. We didn’t have a quarterback on the roster. I was asked daily what I would do by ownership, by everybody. I said, ‘Easy, simple: Take Saquon Barkley #1. Take Josh Allen #4.’ Easy in hindsight to say. It would’ve been something special. I mean, Cleveland’s a mess, generally. I get it. This is not an indictment on Denzel Ward or Baker Mayfield, but I think things would have looked a lot different if you had Saquon and Josh Allen on the same roster,” Haley said.
"I said, 'Easy, simple: Take Saquon Barkley #1. Take Josh Allen #4.'"
—@thetoddhaley on what he told Browns' ownership they should do in the 2018 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/VsGcP9oUxK
— The Dan Le Batard Show (@LeBatardShow) October 12, 2026
Calling Cleveland “a mess” to explain why they didn’t take those players is brutal. Ownership apparently asked him on a near-daily basis for his input on those picks, and he was adamant about Barkley and Allen being the guys.
If Haley really said this, then he belongs in a front office somewhere. It’s a little hard to believe him, but it’s frustrating to know that this was an option and the front office didn’t go this route.
In another timeline, that draft would have ideally worked out better for the Browns, but you’re not finding anyone complaining about what Denzel Ward has brought to this franchise. The last two rookie classes have also been incredible and the Browns are truly building something now, so it’s time to look forward instead of backward.
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