Cleveland Browns: Which offensive rookies will make the team?

The Cleveland Browns have decisions to make after selecting eight offensive rookies in the 2016 NFL Draft.

After an offseason where the Cleveland Browns lost three major contributors on offense to free agency, the Browns needed to restock the team. The place to fill the holes left behind was the NFL Draft. The Browns had the most picks of any team in the draft by the time it was all over. They used eight of their 14 picks to draft four wide receivers, one quarterback, a tight end and two offensive linemen. It was an attempt to restock the offense with talent before the 2016 season.

However, the NFL Draft is football’s version of the stock market. Each player has a certain value based on measurables and skill set. Their value is determined by a variety of methods including analytics, film study and the ever popular “eye test”. They are then slotted into a draft order. Each team places value on the picks themselves based on round and pick within that round. The best chance of beating the market is to diversify one’s portfolio. The Browns draft strategy going into the draft was to diversify their picks in the hopes that some will develop into contributors.

The Browns helped their cause by playing a bit of draft poker. By reducing each pick to a numerical value, the Browns utilized a strategy to increase long-term and short-term draft value. They traded away higher picks with more numerical value for multiple lower and future picks possessing a higher overall combined numerical value. This gave them multiple opportunities to pick the right person as opposed to putting all their eggs in one basket.

Even with a strategy to diversify, the draft is essentially a guessing game. Certainly the Browns have guessed wrong a lot over the past 16 years. Will this draft class be any different? Were the Browns successful in restocking the offense? Here is a guide to which offensive rookies fans can expect to make the team and why.

Next: The top pick