Former Browns GM trades future Round 3 pick for hysterical reach
By Randy Gurzi
John Dorsey was a beloved figure for the Cleveland Browns during his short tenure. Hired away from the Kansas City Chiefs, he won the Dawg Pound over primarily by not being Sashi Brown.
His predecessor was an analytically-driven decision maker whereas Dorsey called everyone "buddy boy" and used his gut. He was praised as a "football guy" and while he did make some great moves, he also took Austin Corbett before Nick Chubb (which could have lost them the chance at Chubb) and swapped two fourth-round picks to select Antonio Callaway.
That one went south in a hurry, which was no surprise to anyone who saw his track record at Florida — or realized he failed a drug test at the NFL Combine while trying to show he was a changed man. He was gone in the blink of an eye but Dorsey didn't learn and is still driven by the gut.
On Saturday, this was proven as he and the Detroit Lions made a head-scratching move in Round 4. The Lions sent a third-round pick to the New York Jets to select British Columbia offensive tackle Giovanni Manu at No. 126.
Dorsey is the senior personnel executive for Detroit, so he doesn't make all the decisions, but this had his fingerprints all over them. Manu was turning heads leading into the draft — and even the Browns kicked the tires. Still, he's a former basketball player with hardly any experience playing football.
That's why he was seen as a late-round pick, and possibly an undrafted free agent. Detroit felt strongly enough that he could develop into a legit player that they gave up a Day 2 pick in 2025. That's quite the gamble, making this a serious "football guy" move rather than one with much analytical though whatsoever attached.