Throughout much of the pre-draft process, one thing was crystal clear: The Cleveland Browns were going to spend most of their capital on offense, at least in the first round. However, general manager Andrew Berry is unpredictable, and anything could have happened at pick No. 6 overall.
That's why there was no shortage of potential candidates arriving in Northeast Ohio for 30 visits, including some defensive players. Even though wide receiver and offensive tackle were always the Browns' most likely targets, they could have gone in a different direction for the right prospect.
Through that lens, Browns fans can only hope that Bleacher Report's Moe Moton's latest prediction doesn't come true. He believes two of Cleveland's most logical Day 1 targets, wide receiver Carnell Tate and safety Caleb Downs will make the Pro Bowl as rookies, while the Browns come away empty-handed.
The Cleveland Browns may not escape comparisons to Carnell Tate and Caleb Downs anytime soon
The Browns did their due diligence on Tate. However, even if they wanted to get him, the Tennessee Titans shockingly took him at No. 5 overall. Still, it always seemed like it was Spencer Fano or bust for Andrew Berry, with Jordyn Tyson as the only wide receiver they would have considered inside the top 10.
"The former Buckeye is the Titans' most dynamic receiver and could be more productive in the pros than he was in college," Moton wrote of Tate.
As for Downs, he had "Cleveland Browns" written all over him, and perhaps they would've felt more obliged to take him had Jim Schwartz still been in the building. Some argue that he might be the best player in this draft, but positional value, plus the Browns' glaring offensive needs, led to them passing.
"In the Cowboys' revamped secondary, Downs could be a do-it-all chess piece who leads the club in multiple defensive categories," Moton wrote.
At the end of the day, it's impossible to control what every other team will do, and the Browns did an outstanding job of addressing their needs and making sure the board worked in their favor. There's no way to know how any player's career will turn out, and countless factors could make or break them once they turn pro.
Recency bias, plus the hometown ties between Ohio State and Cleveland, can certainly make the fan base feel entirely different about this promising draft class if Tate and Downs do become rookie Pro Bowlers.
However, these are just projections, and the Browns have more than enough young talent to make waves this year as well. Some players need more time than others to figure things out. It'll be years before one can objectively judge a rookie class, and all signs point to the Browns finally trending in the right direction.
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