5 Bold Cleveland Browns 2022 NFL draft predictions

The Cleveland Browns are preparing to enter the NFL Draft and will have some bold moves up their sleeves to keep their team competitive heading into season

The Cleveland Browns are a franchise that seems to always stay in the limelight, even despite having teams that aren’t very good. With their fluctuation in quarterback changes or wholesale changes to their front office personnel for the past two decades, the team still manages to make news.

The Browns have usually used their NFL drafts over these years to help spark a change in that never-ending saga by trying to draft quality players. While it’s helped some in recent years, it’s still not been enough to change the trajectory of the team’s path toward winning. And still today it’s not been enough as it seems the team is fully immersed in more controversy and debate on a daily basis.

With the new acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson to the franchise the team is in a “win now” mode at all costs. How this latest move will affect the team’s decision-making in this upcoming NFL draft, in a little over a week from now, is anyone’s guess.

I’d imagine there will be a few more bold moves awaiting. The biggest move will likely involve the other quarterback that’s still on the roster. Let’s look at that move and many more that could be bullish in hopes of that solidifying that winning way for the franchise.

Bold prediction No. 5: Cleveland Browns trade Baker Mayfield during the draft

Baker Mayfield has been waiting to get traded for several weeks now and he will in all likelihood get traded during the upcoming draft. By all accounts, the Browns are taking their time and listening to potential offers. There are teams like the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks that have picks in the first and second rounds of the draft that the Browns might be interested in moving up to get.

The Lions, in particular, have picks No. 32 and 34 and that might be the perfect place for the Browns to try and move into. However, are teams willing to give up a high pick like that for Mayfield?

Maybe Cleveland stays where they are at pick No. 44 and then they instead look to their third-round pick at No. 78 and trade that to a team with Mayfield included. This way they could pick another second-round pick or earlier third-round pick.

There are also teams like the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers, who still need a better quarterback for their franchises and both have been rumored to have some interest in Mayfield. The Browns are smart to wait this out and see where the chips might fall.

Teams that are waiting for Mayfield to be released by the Browns will be disappointed because Cleveland will make a deal that benefits them in the long run. They may have to take on some portion of the nearly $19 million due to their previous franchise quarterback but in the end, I’d imagine with the dust settles on this current situation the Browns will look like they won the battle.