It’s been a while since the Cleveland Browns last took someone in the first round of the NFL Draft, and that won’t be the case this time around, either.
The Browns traded multiple picks to get Deshaun Watson, and fortunately, this will be the last time they don’t have a first-rounder.
However, there have been some rumblings about them potentially trading their second-round pick.
Needless to say, that rubbed ESPN Cleveland personality Tony Rizzo the wrong way, as it would be the third time in as many years that they don’t have a pick in the first or second rounds (via ESPN Cleveland).
What are the chances that Andrew Berry trades out of the 2nd round in this upcoming draft? pic.twitter.com/1d17WbuZpM
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 22, 2024
However, there’s a possibility that they could flip that pick for the right guy, such as, say, Mike Evans, assuming a proven veteran becomes available.
Nonetheless, Rizzo would rather the team have some young players on rookie contracts instead of adding more veterans on big-time deals, and he might be right.
This team is built to compete right now, but championship windows could close drastically and suddenly in professional sports, especially in the NFL.
The front office has done a solid job of putting together a competitive team while still maintaining some salary-cap flexibility, and GM Andrew Berry claimed that will continue to be his approach going forward.
Even so, there are also some chances that come across only once in a lifetime, and the team should be wise to make the most of them if they have an opportunity to do so.
For now, we’ll have to just wait and see.
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