Cleveland Browns trade up to draft David Njoku

The Cleveland Browns made a splash in the first round of the NFL Draft by trading back into the first round for Miami tight end David Njoku.

The Cleveland Browns make an anti-analytic trade late Thursday night by moving up from the second round into the first round. They traded their first pick in the second round (No. 33) to the Green Bay Packers for the 29th overall pick in the first round.

There had been a lot of speculation about the Browns taking a tight end  like O.J. Howard with the No. 12 overall pick. That did not come to fruition when the Browns traded the No. 12 pick to the Houston Texans for their first-round pick in 2017 and their 2018 first-round pick.

Instead the Browns decided to jump back into the first round to take their tight end. They added a dynamic playmaker to their offense by selecting Miami’s David Njoku. Njoku was ranked as the second overall tight end by many draft analysts.

Njoku plays the F-tight end position which is mainly the pass catching mismatch receiver. His 6-foot-4 frame makes him an immediate red zone target for whoever plays quarterback for the Browns, with that competition currently being between Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler.

He will need to learn to block at the NFL level. But he seems willing to block. Over time he could become a traditional Y-tight end who can block in-line as well as be a receiving threat.

Next: Browns draft Jabrill Peppers

The Browns got an excellent player in David Njoku.