Cleveland Browns Pull Off Pre-Draft Trade With Houston Texans

The Cleveland Browns offloaded a handful of Day 3 picks in trade with the Houston Texans

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The wheeling and dealing has begun ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. In this instance, it isn't for a high-profile pick at the top of the draft board, however.

A little over two hours before the Cleveland Browns get ready to make a pick at No. 2 overall , general manager Andrew Berry swung a trade with the Houston Texans to offload a handful of day three selections.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, and confirmed by Cleveland Browns on SI, the Browns sent Houston two of their four sixth-round picks and their only seventh-round pick in the deal, to net a 2025 fifth-rounder and 2027 fifth-rounder from the Texans.

The two sixth-round picks were Nos. 179 and 216, while the seventh rounder was slated to be No. 255. The fifth-round pick Cleveland gained in this weekend's draft is pick No. 166.

Trade!

Texans trade
2025 5th round pick (166 overall)
2027 5th round pick

Browns trade
2025 6th round pick (179 overall)
2025 6th round pick (216 overall)
2025 7th round pick (255 overall) pic.twitter.com/Nbk2eTaNv6

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 24, 2025

Entering Thursday, the Browns were armed with 10 total picks over the course of the next three days, including six on Day 3. Now, Berry has reduced their total selections to eight for the weekend.

Earlier in the offseason, Cleveland had an 11th pick in the fifth round that it had received from the Detroit Lions in a trade for Donovan Peoples-Jones back in 2023, but they packaged the pick with Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a trade for Kenny Pickett.

The move would have left Cleveland selecting early in the fourth round at pick 104 and then not picking again until pick 179. Now, Berry will get to make his second pick on Day 3, 13 picks sooner and still have two sixth-rounders to fill out his roster.