How the top 10 trades help Cleveland Browns at pick 26

After three teams in the top 12 of this year’s NFL draft were very busy Friday, it’s the Cleveland Browns who can come out of the day feeling better

Cleveland Browns fans should rejoice after Adam Schefter sent the NFL world into madness yesterday when he tweeted the report about how the San Francisco 49ers had traded up from No. 12 in the 2021 NFL draft with the Miami Dolphins to No. 3 overall.

It seemed like, before people could even register that trade, the Miami Dolphins traded back up to No. 6 overall with the Philadelphia Eagles. While all of that is extremely exciting, Browns fans honestly couldn’t care less about what those teams are doing.

Cleveland is fresh off of a wild card weekend playoff win and is looking to go even farther next year. That means the Browns aren’t worried about what quarterback is going to save the franchise in this year’s draft so they aren’t trying to position themselves for a signal-caller.

Instead, Andrew Berry and company are praying that some top 10 talent (other than a QB) falls to them at No. 26 that can help fuel their hopeful Super Bowl run in 2021. And after Friday’s trades, that fuel just may have dropped below $2 per gallon.

You don’t trade up to 3rd overall to draft a long snapper, and the 49ers are taking a quarterback no matter what they say. It’s clear the New York Jets are taking a quarterback at No. 2 and, if they don’t, whoever wants the next best quarterback will have to trade up to No. 2 with the Jets.

When it’s all said and done, it’s very likely four quarterbacks will be taken in the top four picks. Those quarterbacks will most likely be Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance. But what does that have to do with the Browns?

With all of the quarterbacks going that early, teams who still would like to have a quarterback like Mac Jones will need to trade up to secure him. Again, the Browns don’t need a quarterback. There are several great offensive tackles projected in the first round this year. The Browns don’t need any offensive tackles. There are at least three wide receivers going to be taken before the Browns pick at number 26. The Browns aren’t hurting for any receivers.

Putting all of this together says that there’s a lot of defensive talent that’s going to be pushed down the board to Cleveland. A defensive player who is a top 15 prospect could be there for the Browns at 26 because all of these offensive players are going to be selected before they’re on the clock.

Andrew Berry has done a good job at filling holes in the defense through free agency, so he’s given himself the freedom to select the best player available at 26. He doesn’t have to pick a player to fill a hole on the roster.

Cleveland can pick the fourth or fifth best receiver for depth, or a top 10 defensive player could slide all the way down to them because of the trading and need for offensive players in the top 12 of this year’s draft.

Some team may have traded up for their franchise quarterback on Friday, but the Browns may have lucked into a defensive stud who can help make their Super Bowl run a little more feasible.