If the Cleveland Browns are going to get off the mat and become competitive again after a frustrating 2024 season, they will have to do well in the upcoming NFL draft.
They will have nine picks in April’s draft, including the No. 2 overall selection, and the midseason trade that sent wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills also netted them a third-round pick this year.
That third-round pick will fall between No. 93 and No. 96 after the Bills got past the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s divisional-round playoff game, per Andrew Siciliano.
Bills win yesterday means the 3rd round pick the Browns will receive for WR Amari Cooper will be in the range of #93 – #96 overall.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 20, 2025
The Cooper trade seemed to represent a shift from trying to be competitive to the start of a retooling process for the Browns.
Of course, quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn Achilles shortly after that trade, which seemed to fully fling open the door to rebuilding for the long-suffering franchise.
The Browns will have a dilemma in the upcoming draft: Should they go for a quarterback such as Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, or should they address another need and go after a quarterback in free agency or via a trade?
Backups Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t show a lot of promise after Watson got hurt, but perhaps the team could go with one or both of them for at least a little while until a better option becomes available.
Unfortunately, Cleveland is in a difficult place when it comes to salary cap space, so upgrading the roster and making it playoff-caliber will not exactly be easy this offseason.
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