Re-grading the Cleveland Browns 2018 NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns were praised for their work in the 2018 NFL Draft, but how do the selections grade out after three years of work in the NFL?

It’s been said that it usually takes three seasons to accurately grade a draft class — and there’s a lot of truth to that. Sure, we all love the instant grades but those are usually based on projections.

Once the players have actually performed in the NFL for a few seasons, only then can we really judge how good a class really is. With that being said, we look back at the Cleveland Browns 2018 class, which now has three years of work to look at.

When the picks were originally made, the class was pretty well received and former general manager John Dorsey was the king of Cleveland.

But does that hold true now? We know Dorsey is out, but does his class still have some staying power? Let’s dive right in with the first pick, which was used to land Baker Mayfield at No. 1 overall, to answer those questions.

Round 1, Pick 1: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma

Former Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey might not have left under the best of terms — which happens when you go out on a limb for an inexperienced head coach that doesn’t pan out. But that doesn’t mean everything he did was wrong.

In fact, Dorsey hit a home run with the first overall pick even though it wasn’t exactly a consensus selection. With most predictions saying Cleveland should take Sam Darnold from USC, Dorsey went in a different direction and took Baker Mayfield.

The Oklahoma quarterback came with questions about his size (which was overblown) and his maturity. So far, Mayfield has put those questions to bed as he’s shown true leadership and has progressed nicely overall.

He had some bumps in the road which should be blamed on the uncertainty in the coaching staff around him but proved in 2020 that he can win with a competent staff around him. Mayfield is the future of this franchise and still stands true as a solid pick.

Grade: A-