Cleveland Browns Draft Review

 Entering the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns appeared to be in a very difficult situation without either a first or second-round selection and the Browns didn't seem likely to land many players that could help them immediately.

Instead, to my surprise, the Browns were able to land two players that some had rated as borderline first-rounders, may have added two future starters to the offensive line, have added two players that likely will see action this season as a regular portion of the defensive line rotation, and a young quarterback to develop into a possible asset down the road.

All of that without selections in the first two rounds, so it's likely easy to see that under the circumstances I'm pleased with the results of the seven new draftees.

The Browns had eight draft picks but they traded their final pick in round seven to the Baltimore Ravens in return for Baltimore's sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

Cleveland's drafting of Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (3rd) and Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones (4th) could result in two potential starters with high upside and Ohio State center Luke Wypler (6th) could be the third when you consider the Browns depth chart at the position.

Defensive linemen Siaki Ika (Baylor 3rd) and Isaiah McGuire (Missouri 4th) should at least be part of the rotation among the defensive linemen with a chance to eventually start.

Add to that, some projections really liked Northwestern corner Cameron Mitchell and if you lean towards the more positive reviews rather than the negative, the Browns have at least added a strong special teams player that has a chance to eventually help as a slot corner.

What I liked the best about the draft is while the Browns added some depth at positions that they needed it most, Andrew Berry and company managed to do it in a way that didn't feel panicked or desperate.

Instead, the Browns watched the draft unfold and did what the best drafters do in any draft from little league through professional- you take the best players available and you take advantage of the mistakes of others.

When you are strong enough to take a player that should have never been available to you regardless of your team's need at the moment, that's usually a move that winners make- because the best player available is almost always going to help you win.

There are exceptions to this rule, usually drafting pitching in baseball, but eight or nine times out of ten the best player is the best choice.

The Browns seldom have taken this road since their 1999 return and it usually bites them in the end.

When you force immediate need over the best player, if there is a vast difference in talent, it hinders your organization because eventually there will be other immediate needs and things never solve themselves.

I'm more willing to dip into free agency to fill immediate needs rather than force early draft picks to solve positional problems, which can be more expensive but doesn't set the building process back from a potential bust that fails to solve a problem.

The Browns may not have solved every problem during this off-season but I like the process that they are following.

The Browns are showing flexibility in how they are building their team and not sticking entirely to their analytics model.

The best way of doing things is to be open to the entire spectrum, not be afraid to vary some from your core beliefs, and show growth by admitting that perhaps your way is not perfect or even the whole way to build.

Maybe the Browns front office is finally getting the picture.