See you in 2021, @NFLDraft! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fpopRR5WaD
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 25, 2020
The Browns are ready to get to work after a successful draft.
Time for us to get to work. 😤#BrownsDraft Recap: https://t.co/LMFtGi7932 pic.twitter.com/gSC4CJqjzC
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 26, 2020
Before we turn the page to the 2020 season and 2021 draft, 2020 draft grades have been released.
USA Today: A
Luke Easterling of the USA Today released “instant grades” for every NFL team.
These grades include a picture and grade without an explanation, unlike the New York Post and the Sporting News.
The USA Today grades are also unique because they are in alphabetical order instead of in order by draft performance.
The Browns’ A grade may be a little watered down because there are a total of 10 teams with A grades.
The only team with a better USA Today grade is the Dallas Cowboys (A+).
It is understandable that grades are high for the 2020 draft because of the depth of the second round:
One personnel director calls this “the deepest second round in the last 25 years.” He believes there are 20 players available tonight that could have been first-round picks; there usually are 7-10. “There will be as many starters in this round that there are in the first round.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2020
However, it is still an overstatement to state that more than one-third of the NFL had a near-perfect draft performance.
The Browns deserve the A grade for filling their voids at offensive tackle, safety, defensive tackle, linebacker, and wide receiver.
It is understandable that the Browns did not receive an A+ because they did not trade for a veteran.
Cleveland also drafted a player in Jedrick Wills Jr. that will have to change from right tackle in college to the left tackle position in the NFL.
For those reasons, an A grade is representative of the 2020 draft for the Browns.
New York Post: A-
Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post also hands out just one A+ grade: unsurprisingly, the Cowboys also get top billing.
The Browns receive the No. 7 ranking for these grades with an A-.
Just one A+ and four A’s are in the New York Post rankings.
Therefore, this grade may be even more glowing of Cleveland’s draft than the grade by USA Today.
The only AFC North team with a better grade is the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 3 ranking and A grade), who selected Joe Burrow first overall.
The New York Post mentions Jack Conklin in its analysis and compliments the new duo of Wills and him.
In addition, Dunleavy notes that LSU safety Grant Delpit, who the Browns selected in the second round, is “top-10 talent.”
Sporting News: A-
Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News has handed out 10 grades of A or higher and ranked the Browns as No. 12 overall.
Iyer has given out a whopping four A+ grades: Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cowboys.
It is surprising that Cleveland is ranked closer to the middle of the pack than near the top.
The Sporting News is very impressed with first-year general manager Andrew Berry and first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The reason for the relatively “low” grade may be due to the Browns not trading for an impact player during the draft.
Although Cleveland selected Delpit with the 44th overall selection of the 2020 draft, Vikings star safety Anthony Harris could have been had for a third or fourth round selection.
Sporting News may have given the Browns an A or even an A+ grade if Cleveland would have pulled off a trade.
NEXT: 3 Things To Know About New Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
