3 first-round mistakes that continue to haunt the Browns

2. Lack of Round 1 pick for the past three years

It's been tough over the past two seasons watching the NFL Draft unfold without the Browns being able to make a pick in Round 1. To make things even more frustrating, they also traded out of the second round in 2022 and sent their second-rounder to the New York Jets in 2023 in the Elijah Moore trade.

Thankfully, they've drafted well overall as they were able to land Martin Emerson, Jr. out of Mississippi State in 2022. He's developed into one of the better defensive backs on the team and should be a long-term starter.

This past season, they wound up with Cedric Tillman as their top pick and then took Siaki Ika later in the third round as well. Tillman was decent as a rookie with 224 yards on 21 receptions but he had no touchdowns. Ika, however, hardly saw the field.

Without a pick in Round 1, it's not unusual for teams to have inconsistent results from their rookie class. For the Browns, that's happened far too many times and it will happen again in 2024. It wouldn't be as frustrating if their trade panned out but so far, Deshaun Watson hasn't proven to be worth the bevy of first-round picks (plus a third-rounder) that were surrendered for his services.

Thankfully, that trade is completely this year and, hopefully, this year, they'll at least keep their second-rounder.