Throughout most of the pre-draft process, it was clear that the Cleveland Browns were going to use their first-round picks on a wide receiver and an offensive tackle. The question wasn't whether they would do it, but which position they would target first.
Day 1 of the draft provided those answers. The Browns traded down three spots and still wound up taking the first offensive tackle off the board, landing Spencer Fano, the player they coveted most all along.
However, that doesn't mean he was the only top-10 prospect they coveted. As revealed on ESPN's The Pick Is In and Browns insider Daniel Oyefusi, general manager Andrew Berry had two potential backup options just in case: Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
"Browns GM Andrew Berry revealed that WR Jordyn Tyson and OTs Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa were under consideration with the No. 6 pick before trading back to No. 9 with the Chiefs," Oyefusi wrote.
The Browns had a very different plan ready if things went another way
Moving down from No. 6 to No. 9 likely meant missing out on Tyson. The Browns knew that, but they still had high odds of landing Fano, so it was more than worth the risk. As for Mauigoa, he was considered the No. 1 offensive tackle throughout most of the pre-draft process, but positional concerns and late questions about a back injury ultimately made him fall.
Like Fano, some scouts felt that Mauigoa was better suited to play guard in the NFL instead of offensive tackle. As such, the Browns probably would have still doubled down at the position with Austin Barber or one of their other preferred targets on Day 2.
Taking Tyson first, however, would have represented a different type of trouble. Mauigoa and fellow tackles Blake Miller and Monroe Freeling were all gone by the time Cleveland was back on the clock at pick No. 24, and with Fano almost certainly off the board, they would have had to get creative.
Perhaps the Browns would have had no choice but to roll with Utah's Caleb Lomu, who ultimately fell to the New England Patriots at No. 28. They also could have doubled down on the wide receiver position and still taken KC Concepcion at No. 24.
Whatever the case, the important thing is that things worked out almost exactly as planned. Even though they didn't get any of the top two pass catchers, they still found two potential building blocks in Concepcion and Denzel Boston, all while bolstering the trenches with the best tackle prospect in this class.
Only time will tell if they made the right call, but for now, it's hard not to get excited.
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