Over the past couple of years, the Cleveland Browns have finally been able to rebuild their roster and replenish it with young talent. In fact, they're still dealing with the massive ripple effect of the now infamous Deshaun Watson trade of 2022.
Cleveland's draft classes in 2025 and 2026 have given general manager Andrew Berry a real shot at redemption. There's still plenty of work to do to make up for lost time and resources, but at least Berry's finally earning the benefit of the doubt among Browns fans.
That's why it's so painful to look back at the draft that could have helped change the course of this franchise.
Recently, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports decided to re-draft the 2023 rookie class, and the end result only poured more salt in the Browns' wounds.
The 2023 NFL Draft brings back tough memories
For the purposes of Wilson's re-draft, teams were prohibited from selecting the same player they initially took. The Houston Texans, for example, who ended up with pick Nos. 2 and 3 overall in 2023, were left with Bryce Young and Puka Nacua, instead of C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr.
The Browns would have held the No. 12 overall pick in that draft, but it was originally shipped to Houston in their blockbuster deal for Watson. Houston then packaged that pick in a move up the board to land Anderson at No. 3, a decision that propelled the Texans to instant playoff contention.
In Wilson's re-draft, he had running back De'Von Achane going 12th overall, but the class as a whole was stacked with talent. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba — players who recently squared off against one another in Super Bowl LX — were also on Wilson's board, along with tight end Sam LaPorta.
It serves as a painful reminder of how the Browns waited until pick No. 74 overall in the third round to draft wide receiver Cedric Tillman. That was their first selection of the event. Only Tillman, Dawand Jones, and Isaiah McGuire remain with the team from that 2023 draft class, with two of their other picks (Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Siaki Ika) already out of the league. Cameron Mitchell was waived midway through his third season.
All in all, the Browns had to give up three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two fourth-rounders to get Watson. They then gave him a five-year, fully-guaranteed, $230 million deal that's left the team in no-man's-land ever since.
That contract and the whole transaction should go down as one of the worst moves in professional sports history. It's a lot easier to judge a move after the fact, though, and multiple teams were reportedly in on Watson. In hindsight, the fully guaranteed deal was most likely a starting point in any negotiations.
Even so, remembering what this team could have gotten, and how they essentially helped rebuild the Houston Texans is maddening. Watson may get one final shot at redemption this year, but after everything this franchise has been through, there's simply no way he could pay them back (short of a Super Bowl).
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