With Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft in the books, here are three takeaways from what the Cleveland Browns accomplished last night.
The Cleveland Browns walked into the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday night armed with a pair of draft picks and the resolve to keep rebuilding the roster.
A few hours later, thanks to a pair of trades, they walked out with three players plus an extra first-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Browns may not have landed a quarterback, but by selecting Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and Miami tight end David Njoku, they continued to restock a roster left depleted by previous regimes, according to executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, per the team’s website:
"“For us, high-value draft picks in the first couple rounds are tremendously valuable. We have a long way to go to get our roster where it needs to be. We understood that. This is a great opportunity to really add a player and add another player next year that we hope will be again another impact player for us. It’s really for us a two-for-one, and where we are coming from on our roster, that’s valuable.”"
As we wait for the draft to resume tonight with rounds two and three, here are three takeaways from the first round.
Of all the rumors and stories leading up to the draft, the biggest question was what the Browns would do with the first overall pick.
“It’s an exciting time. We just added three impact players to our roster, and we are all very excited about that.” – Hue Jackson
What once seemed like an obvious choice, as the draft approached there were more and more stories and rumors that Cleveland would select someone other than Myles Garrett, namely local product and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
But after the smoke cleared, the Browns did the smart thing and picked the consensus best player in the draft.
Most experts are saying Garrett is a generational talent, and with Cleveland needing to shore up their defense, especially the pass rush, he should be able to step in and provide an immediate spark to the defensive line.
In Gregg Williams defensive scheme Garrett not only has the opportunity to start. but he could and should become a star. Going up against quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco twice a season, Cleveland needed to upgrade the pass rush. Picking Garrett is that upgrade. His presence on the line will allow the other linemen to flourish as well, as he will take extra attention to defend.
Garrett’s addition not only helps the defensive line, it should help the entire defense. Having Garrett bursting off the edge will give opposing quarterbacks less time in the pocket, which in turn should have them either taking a sack or hurrying their throws. Quarterbacks under pressure make mistakes, which will lessen the burden on the secondary.
While the Browns made the logical choice by selecting Garrett at No. 1, they also had the No. 12 pick, and with players such as Ohio State safety Malik Hooker and Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen still on the board, they could have stayed put and added another great player to the defense.
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Instead, the Browns traded the No. 12 pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for the No. 25 pick and Houston’s first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. Cleveland now has two first-round picks and three second-round selections in next year’s draft.
As for the 25th pick, the Browns selected Michigan safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers, who is also a force in the return game.
Not satisfied with only having two first-round picks, Cleveland swung another deal with the Green Bay Packers, trading the 33rd overall pick and one of their fourth-round picks, No. 108 overall, to move up to No. 29. With that pick they chose Miami tight end David Njoku, who most consider the second-best tight end in this draft class.
Njoku is a nice offensive weapon who will help whoever is the Browns starting quarterback in 2017.
This is the first time in team history that te Browns have had three first-round selections. The trading was an emphasis in last year’s draft, starting when they traded the No. 2 overall selection to the Philadelphia Eagles.
With six more rounds to go in the draft, it will be shocking if the Browns do not make more trades.
The Browns were linked to each of the top quarterbacks in this class at one point or another.
North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky was the one quarterback the Browns were said to be looking at the most, with some reports even saying the was considering using the No. 1 overall selection on him.
But then the first round came to a close, Cleveland had not selected a quarterback.
As of now, Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler will be the starting quarterback going into 2017. With an improved offensive line and an improved defense, this situation is not as bleak as some may believe. Life should be easier for whoever the starter is, as the Browns shouldn’t be playing from behind as much as they did last season, meaning that they can focus more on the run game.
Cleveland may not have selected a quarterback Thursday night, but they are far from satisfied with the current state of the position, according to Brown:
"“Yeah, we need to solidify the quarterback position. It’s not solidified right now. We know that we need the guys here to work their tails off, and Hue is going to develop them as much as possible and push them to be their best. We also know that until we get it solidified, we are going to continue looking for players all over the league and in college. That may be in next year’s draft. That may be in free agency. It may be via trade.”"
This situation could still change as Cleveland has the draft ammo to still make a trade to draft a quarterback if they want. They could and probably will pick a quarterback before the draft is over, most likely from a group that includes Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, Cal’s Davis Webb or Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs.
Next: What time does the NFL Draft start tonight?
With 6 more rounds to go there will be more stories but these are the three biggest as of now.