Winning on draft weekend doesn’t always equate to winning in the regular season, but it’s much harder to win in October if the team doesn’t perform well in April. For rookie Browns GM Andrew Berry and his Cleveland crew, having a winning first draft experience is a great way to keep the momentum rolling forward after a very effective free agency period.
Here’s how Berry and the Browns can “win” on draft weekend — and also how they could drop the ball and lose.
Keys to victory
- Find the staring left tackle for 2020. It could be with the No. 10 pick. It could be trading for Washington veteran Trent Williams. Hard to see any other way to win this point. It’s the only starting spot open on an otherwise loaded offense.
- Bring in a safety who can start in 2021, if not earlier. Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph are one-year bandages, though Joseph could play his way into a long-term picture. Drafting a safety who can contribute as a rookie and then take over a starting role in 2021 is an imperative.
- Selecting a linebacker who can play right away. Personal preference is Wyoming’s Logan Wilson, but there are others available on Day 2 and even a couple on Day 3 who could at least match what Mack Wilson offered as a 5th-round rookie in 2019.
- Build depth on the lines. Defensive tackle is an underappreciated need in part because it’s more of a long-term issue than an immediate one. But adding at least one DT and one EDGE that can play in a rotation or sub-package is important. The same is true on the offensive interior, particularly at center behind venerable JC Tretter.
Path to defeat
- Failing to acquire an NFL-ready starting left tackle. Josh Jones, Austin Jackson and Ezra Cleveland might be very good in time, but none figure to be better than Greg Robinson was the last two years as rookies.
- Drafting a specialist. Jamie Gillan and Austin Seibert were fine as rookies. Gillan is proof good specialists can be found after the draft.
- Trading Odell Beckham. No matter the return in any trade (that is clearly not going to happen), the Cleveland Browns will not be a better on-the-field football team in 2020 if they trade their enigmatic wide receiver. Again, it’s not going to happen.