The Cleveland Browns finally made their long-awaited draft pick, after a small trade-down with the Kansas City Chiefs at pick No. 9 on Thursday. Spencer Fano, considered by many to be the draft's top offensive lineman, was the selection — a development that had considerable smoke behind it over the last few weeks.
The top takeaway is obvious. Cleveland now has its hopeful left tackle of the future, filling a premium position that has proven difficult to find since the retirement of Hall of Famer Joe Thomas. If fans weren't already over the moon about the selection, perhaps a few player comparisons will do the trick.
NFL Draft Buzz provides a holistic player comparison tool for each draft prospect, and some of Fano's comps will have fans checking their pulse. The players in question? The Arizona Cardinals' Paris Johnson Jr. (a former Ohio State product) and the Minnesota Vikings' Christian Darrisaw.
If Fano turns out like those guys, it's safe to say the Browns have struck gold. That's not the only reason fans should be happy about the pick, however. Two AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, had shown considerable interest in Fano throughout the pre-draft process. While fans have grown exhausted of hearing about how competent their rivals are compared to the Browns, this development serves as an offseason win for the Dawg Pound.
The Browns weren’t the only AFC North team targeting Spencer Fano
When it comes to the Steelers, they actually had Spencer Fano visit team headquarters on a 30-visit. A whopping 67 percent of Steelers draft choices over the last three years have been invited on such visits, a clear indication that their interest was legitimate. If any Browns fan was worried about how other teams viewed their new offensive lineman, this is a pretty solid sign that the ever-steady Steelers had similar feelings to Cleveland's leadership.
What's more, the Steelers were reportedly leapfrogged by the Philadelphia Eagles for USC wideout Makai Lemon just before they were on the clock. They were forced to settle for developmental Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor instead.
As for the Ravens, they still managed to grab an impressive offensive lineman in Round 1, opting for Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane. Nonetheless, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was specifically asked about Fano (and their eventual choice) less than two weeks ago. His evaluation makes it unmistakably clear how the Ravens felt about the versatile lineman.
“I think Fano can play wherever you want him to play,” DeCosta said. “He can play tackle, he can play guard. He’s a good athlete, tough. He’s a good player. I think they’re both excellent prospects. I think both guys are first-round talents, both guys will probably come in right away and help your team quite a bit.”
While it's a dangerous game to simply be drafting players because of what your rivals think, that doesn't seem to be the case here. For Browns fans who have grown naturally wary of their team's exploits after countless blunders, it's an encouraging sign that two of the franchise's highly respected rivals felt similarly to Cleveland in regard to their top selection.
With Day 2 of the NFL Draft on deck, fans can only hope that Andrew Berry keeps his momentum going.
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