Browns slighted in ESPN offensive weapon ranking

Offseason rankings don't end up counting for anything but that doesn't mean they're not interesting to check out. And they can also lead to some debate, which is what's happening after Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked the Cleveland Browns offensive weapons 12th overall.

At first glance, it's not an insult to put the Browns at No. 12. Barnwell praises some of their weapons, including Nick Chubb who he says is the best running back in the NFL. He goes from there and says the depth is a concern and while giving Donovan Peoples-Jones some props, he says the team still felt the need to upgrade the position.

Again, all of this is true. But the problem isn't what was said or even how low the Browns went. It's who was placed ahead of them.

Barnwell decided to put the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of them at No. 11 overall. That feels like a major slight since the Raiders offense isn't all that impressive.

Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams are both very talented but outside of that, no one really stepped up last year. Las Vegas will boast a couple of slot receivers across from Adams with Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow. They also have Austin Hooper as the No. 1 tight end until rookie Michael Mayer takes over. Cleveland seems to have the edge in each spot.

The Minnesota Vikings follow them and that could be questionable as well. Justin Jefferson is arguably the best wide receiver in the game but K.J. Osborn wasn't as effective as DPJ and Alexander Mattison isn't in the same league as Chubb. T.J. Hockenson has the edge over David Njoku but their TE depth isn't close to what Cleveland has.

Again, these rankings are all about discussion and mean nothing in the long run. But it feels as though the Browns were slighted in this one.

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