The 2020 NFL Draft is less than 30 days away. What will new Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry and his crew do in the draft?
One of the possibilities is to trade their pick in the first round. If the Browns want to move out of the No. 10 overall spot, they should have some options. They would likely have little trouble moving up to target a specific high-level talent, while trading back to acquire an extra pick or two certainly holds appeal as well.
We try to keep it real here at Browns Wire, so we’ll lead with this right off the bat: these are ideas, not predictions or reports of “the Browns and Team X are talking about a trade”. While the Browns almost certainly are talking to other teams about laying the groundwork for potential deals on draft weekend, it’s way too early to know any specifics.
In the spirit of offering ideas to new GM Andrew Berry, here are four trade possibilities for the Browns to explore in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Trade up with the Panthers for Jedrick Wills
In order to guarantee the Browns land the gifted Alabama offensive tackle, they need to trade up ahead of other OL-needy teams. The New York Giants at No. 4 overall are the most likely team to start selecting tackles (they’ve been linked to Louisville’s Mekhi Becton for several weeks), but the Chargers at No. 6 and the Cardinals at No. 8 are definitely candidates as well.
Jumping to four with the Giants would cost quite a bit. A more reasonable move would be to jump to No. 7 and land in front of the Cardinals. That would likely cost a third-round pick this year and another pick in 2021. The team at No. 7 is Carolina, which appears to be undergoing a radical overhaul and could use extra picks to expedite the rebuild.
The Browns happen to have an extra third-rounder this year from the Duke Johnson trade to the Texans. What better way to use it than to invest in making the Cleveland run game and offensive line better?