One NFL Draft dream dashed, one nightmare avoided that both involve the San Francisco 49ers

As the Cleveland Browns prepare to go on the road to take on the San Francisco 49ers this week, I'm reminded of a dream dashed during the 2016 NFL Draft and almost a nightmare scenario in 2017. After the Browns traded down from the second overall pick to eighth pick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, there was a path for the Browns to come away with what I believed was the second best prospect in the entire draft draft class

The top three picks set with Jared Goff being selected by the Los Angeles Rams followed by Carson Wentz going to the Eagles and Joey Bosa to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The pivot point was the Dallas Cowboys with the fourth pick. They were supposed to make the smart decision and take Jalen Ramsey, the stud corner out of Florida State. Had that happened the Jacksonville Jaguars were allegedly in the market to trade down. The Browns could have then used a pick or two to move back up in a trade with the Jags, so they could select DeForest Buckner, the incredible defensive lineman out of Oregon.

Size, speed, power, he had all the incredible athletic testing anyone could want in addition to elite production for the position as a versatile defensive linemen for the Ducks. He would've then become the center piece to the Browns defensive line, which is what he is for the 49ers now.

But the Cowboys didn't do the smart thing, instead opting for Ezekiel Elliot, who is a very talented running back, but plays a less valuable position than Ramsey does. The Jaguars then found themselves in the unexpected position to be able to select Ramsey, taking them out of the market for a potential trade down.

The Baltimore Ravens picked sixth and weren't looking to help the Browns, so they took an offensive tackle in Ronnie Stanley over Laremy Tunsil, who was the story of the draft as the gas mask video was everywhere by that point. That left the 49ers at seventh pick, who happily pounced on Buckner, leaving the Browns to trade down with the Tennessee Titans. Buckner was just out of reach twice.

The Browns would then go on to pick Corey Coleman 15th overall, which was a massive miss. They would use the 31st pick on Emmanuel Ogbah, which could've been Chris Jones who went 37th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jones was a tremendous prospect out of Mississippi State that had motor questions. The data and the tape suggested he was a stud and has gone on to become one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. He and Ogbah are now teammates with the Chiefs.

Flash forward a year later and Jamie Meder blocks a field goal, which sealed a Browns victory over the Chargers. For the next several hours, there was a real possibility that the 49ers would have Buckner and get Myles Garrett. Fortunately, the 49ers eked out a victory against the Rams pushing the Browns back to the top of the draft order, enabling them to select Garrett, while the 49ers selected Solomon Thomas.

The Browns did get Garrett, but there was a path for the Browns to end up with both Garrett and Buckner. They were able to get Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson to address their defensive tackle spots admirably, but the Browns will now have to figure out a way to block Buckner this week if they are going to get a victory.

It truly is a game of inches.