After giving away a plethora of high-level draft picks in the trade for Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns were unable to make any kind of significant impact in the NFL Draft for a couple of years. More recently, armed with a full complement of selections, general manager Andrew Berry has shown what he is capable of.
Over the past two drafts, the Browns have arguably added the best collection of young talent in the entire league. Each of their seven picks from 2025 contributed in some way, with second-round linebacker Carson Schwesinger the highlight as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
This year, with 10 picks, Cleveland added three potential rookie starters on offense with tackle Spencer Fano and wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Center Parker Brailsford also could enter the lineup at some point.
With that in mind, analyst Adam Gerstenhaber is tipping his hat to Berry’s draft moves, saying the Browns are “building talent nicely.”
“Overall, based on last year’s draft and just on paper for this year’s draft, I do feel like they’re building talent nicely. There’s a ton of work to do. I’ll give Andrew Berry credit. He drafted well outside of [Dillon] Gabriel. That was a big miss. The rest of the draft is good. It’s on paper, we gotta see it, but you feel good about it,” Gerstenhaber said.
Credit where it's due. 👀🏈#UCSS gives #Browns GM Andrew Berry his flowers for the way he's built Cleveland's roster over the last two seasons through the NFL Draft and free agency. 🌼🔥https://t.co/DZokLk0aZS pic.twitter.com/p9E9jdAFRz
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) July 10, 2026
After being hired in January 2020, still armed with early-round picks, Berry and his staff made some notable selections in his first two drafts. The Browns added safety Grant Delpit in the second round, and the following year, they selected cornerback Greg Newsome II and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Then, without a first-round pick from 2022 to 2024, and without a second-round pick for two of those years, Cleveland was far less successful. That turned around in 2025, and Berry has now built an impressive track record.
In addition to Schwesinger, the 2025 class includes star tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and potential breakout running back Quinshon Judkins. Shedeur Sanders is in line to be the starting quarterback this season, and even Gabriel, who was a third-round pick, may still be the starter had a concussion not ended his rookie season.
It has yet to pay off on the field, with just eight wins combined over the past two seasons, but there is optimism that there are much better days ahead for the Browns, perhaps as soon as this year.
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