The 2024 NFL season has not gone the way anyone anticipated for the Cleveland Browns. Deshaun Watson was supposed to come back from his shoulder injury better than ever, Kevin Stefanski was supposed to unleash a whole new level to his offense with the addition of Ken Dorsey, and the Browns were supposed to be fighting for the AFC North crown in late November.
Instead, we're sitting at 2-8 and discussing who we will draft in the 2025 NFL Draft. Back to the drawing board, and back to the same old Browns. Andrew Berry has proven to be a very aggressive General Manager regarding trades; some have panned out, and most have been subpar. It's time Berry, and the front office focus their aggressive nature towards building the future.
The Past
Since 1999, the Cleveland Browns have frequently avoided targeting a specific skill position within the draft; wide receivers. In 2005, the Browns selected Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards at number three overall, and in 2016 Core Coleman was selected fifteenth overall out of Baylor.
Edwards played four seasons with Cleveland before being traded to the New York Jets, and amassed 1,000 yards only once - the 2007 season with Derek Anderson at quarterback. Coleman, however, only played two seasons with Cleveland, amassing 789 yards through 19 games.
Coleman, to me, will always be remembered for the dropped catch on fourth down against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17 of the 2017 season. There is no guarantee Cleveland would win that game, however, it would have given Cleveland the ball at the 11-yard line with about 1:30 left to play. The drop did, however, ensure Cleveland finished the season 0-16.
A ton of you DMed me asking for this so here you go...
— paco (@AllaireMatt) December 31, 2017
Corey Coleman's dropped pass to go 0-16 + Sad Titanic Music. Sigh. pic.twitter.com/vJMTIPIo5B
The Present
John Dorsey was hired on to be the Browns GM in December of 2017, and much like Berry, he was known to be aggressive in acquiring players. He tended to hold an old school football approach, unlike Berry who is more analytics driven. Between 2018-2019, Dorsey drafted Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Denzel Ward, among many others no longer with the team.
Through free agency, and trades, Dorsey acquired Jarvis Landry, Kareem Hunt, and Odell Beckham Jr. many fans will remember the success that Landry and Mayfield shared, and the turmoil that pursued after Beckham Jr. was added into the mix via a blockbuster trade by Dorsey himself.
Andrew Berry has been no different, apart from trading away the future franchise QB Mayfield for the money problems we have now with Deshaun Watson. Berry, much like Dorsey, has elected to trade for WRs rather than invest in a young rookie. Instead, he has waited until rounds six, three, three, three, and five respectively, in each of his first five seasons as GM.
I fully understand the loss of three first-round picks due to the Watson trade. Instead, he's traded for Elijah Moore, Amari Cooper, and Jerry Jeudy. Only Cooper has shown to be successful in orange and brown, and his success seemed to trail off during this last season before the trade.
Luckily for Cleveland, the recent emergence of Cedrick Tillman has given hope for another potential cornerstone piece the Browns can build around on offense. While he has much to prove, at the very least, he has already shown the Browns were right to move on from Amari Cooper. I worry that this may lead to the Browns being overconfident in their abilities to find good receivers during the later rounds and miss on star potential within this draft.
The Future
Cleveland's defense has not played to standard this season, but much of that can be attributed to the lack of success on offense. The fact remains that Cleveland needs massive improvements to the personnel on offense next season, and only a few players should be safe to return including Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Dawand Jones, David Njoku, Cedrick Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Jerry Jeudy, and Nick Chubb. The rest could be traded or released for all I care.
Cleveland needs to approach the 2025 draft carefully knowning they will still be paying Deshaun Watson, but need an answer at QB. From what I have seen watching CFB this year, none of the QBs appear to be NFL ready, and all are developmental acquisitions that will most likely need time to be ready for the NFL. The 2025 QB class is weak, but have many players that have a very high ceiling. Cleveland must select a QB that makes the most sense for Stefanski's offense because falling into another trap like the Watson dilemma sets us back another two to three years.
The Browns biggest needs for 2025 are QB, EDGE, WR, OT, and DB with a need for depth along the offensive and defensive lines. The 2025 draft class's strongest positions are EDGE, DB, and OT which means Cleveland doesn't necessarily need to grab one with their first pick to get an immediate impact player.
The 2025 Draft Strategy Proposed
1. Go after a young, hungry QB capable of "solving the problem" on a cheap contract via trade or free agency. The first QB that comes to mind is Justin Fields, but a team such as Jacksonville could be persuaded to trade Trevor Lawrence based on his performance in 2024.
2. Sign a proven veteran QB who is willing to play the QB3 mentor role, but capable of playing if needed. The saying goes if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Re-sign Jameis Winston, or a similar player or his caliber to improve the chemistry in the QB room.
3. Trade any player who can be easily replaced but has retained value. Greg Newsome ll is the most obvious candidate, and you could possibly receive a mid-round pick due to his potential and success in his early career. Jack Conklin is another player who could be traded for additional draft picks, and the Browns must let Ellijah Moore, and Jedrick Wills Jr. walk in free agency.
4. Draft the best player available in the first round, but don't overreach for a QB. Cam Ward (QB), Travis Hunter (CB/WR), Abdul Carter (DE), Will Johnson (CB), Kelvin Banks Jr. (OT), and Tetairoa McMillian (WR) would all be worthy of the Browns first round pick. Whichever they select, it could set the stage for the remainder of the draft.
5. Use compensation picks from restricted free agents and the trades of Cooper, Newsome, and Jack Conklin to move back into the mid-end of the first round. As I said earlier, much of what the Browns do with the first pick will determine what they do moving forward, but for the sake of argument let's assume they weren't comfortable with the QB's available and selected either Carter, Johnson, Banks Jr., a defensive player or offensive lineman.
With the second first round pick, the Browns should select Ole Miss WR Tre Harris. A second round pick and combination of multiple third and fourth round picks should get them back into position to acquire him.
Tre Harris is projected to be a late first-round pick and has been linked many times to the Washington Commanders within the last ten picks of the first round. There is a reason we're targeting Harris here, and it has to do with the recent success of QB/WR duos in the NFL, most specifically Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. While neither prospect here is as explosive, the benefit of drafting a QB/WR duo is that they already have the chemistry needed to be successful in the NFL.
6. The Browns should select Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart in the third round. At 6'2 "and 225 lbs, Dart has similar strengths to Denver QB Bo Nix in his ability to run over defenders. He has a huge arm with high velocity and excellent flexibility in his throwing mechanics to adjust his release under pressure and while on the move.
Dart would be a great developmental piece for Stefanski as he already thrives in run pass option, as well as some scouts considering him "elite" in play action. While he's certainly not ready to take over Week 1, he may be the best fit for Cleveland in the long term. From what I have seen, Dart can make the big throws and has the mobility to be successful in Stefanski's offense. His attitude, and leadership are what I love about the kid and reminds me so much of Baker Mayfield.
Cleveland would then have a QB more than capable of starting at QB, with their developmental QB under the wings. It gives Cleveland twice the opportunity to hit on a franchise QB, while allowing them to fill their defense or offensive line with day one impact players. The selection of a WR in the first-round breaks Cleveland's current trend of avoiding them and enables Jerry Jeudy to slide back into the slot where he is the most dangerous.
For the remainder of the draft, Cleveland could still focus on DB, EDGE and the offensive line, or based on what they acquire in free agency they can simply continue to build depth through developmental pieces. Either way, Cleveland needs a QB, and they need a WR. Why not get both capable of playing with each other? We've tried just about everything else, maybe we give something like this a shot. This allows them to get Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward a counterpart that can immediately improve the defense while strategically improving the offense.