Browns Receive Tough Take After First Round of NFL Draft

Cleveland fans are not happy with the Browns' passiveness on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.

Mar 31, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

With the No. 2 overall pick, the Cleveland Browns had the opportunity to select a game-changing player in Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter. Instead, the team traded down to No. 5 with the Jaguars, picking Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and acquiring additional draft capital.

The move to gain more picks instead of adding a splash player like Hunter could reveal insight into Browns general manager Andrew Berry's view of the current roster. Berry likely doesn't think the team has enough talent to contend for the playoffs now, viewing the long-term future as more important, even for a team with a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Myles Garrett.

That's a frustrating realization to come to, according to ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo.

"Last night was the perfect example of 'we want one thing and the team is doing another,'" Rizzo said on Friday morning. "Folks, the future is not now, and it hurts. It hurts when you realize that the Browns just aren't in a position to go out, take the best player available and keep adding like the Eagles do, like the Chiefs did at the end of the draft last night. We're not able to do that."

Rizzo added that the Browns' inability to do so is a result of the Deshaun Watson trade. Cleveland gave up six draft picks, including three first-rounders, for Watson, as well as a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

Now, the Browns are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Watson is out indefinitely with a torn Achilles and is still counting against Cleveland's payroll. At the same time, the roster remains one of the least talented in the league due to financial and draft constraints from the trade.

While Hunter would have only plugged one (or two) of Cleveland's many holes, Rizzo still expressed his disappointment in the way the first round of Thursday's NFL Draft played out.

"Maybe that was the right plan," Rizzo said. "Maybe Jimmy Haslam showed admirable restraint, and maybe they get this right. All I know is, it was a buzzkill. You promised us a unicorn and I got a wrestler."

Graham may not have been the flashy pick, but a duo between the massive defensive tackle and Garrett could wreck AFC North quarterbacks for years to come. The Browns also have four Day 2 picks, including No. 33 and No. 36, to find flashy players to improve their offense.

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