Complicated Browns draft trade proposal is interesting, not enough value

Hall of Fame former Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas pumps his fist as he walks on stage to announce the Browns’ second round pick during the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft runs through April 26. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Whether it is our DBN community NFL mock draft (which went a surprise direction so far, starting with pick #2), our Cleveland Browns mock draft with no quarterback or offensive tackle in the first two rounds, JohnW81 doing a mock draft in The Feed based off of a Mary Kay Cabot comment , or Doug Farrar’s two round Browns mock draft , there are a lot of ways to create an NFL mock draft.

When it comes to trades, it is always hard to predict how they can shake up the actual NFL draft. Cleveland’s trade down from the second pick in 2025 opened the door for what would become a very solid rookie class for the Browns . Instead of doing a normal NFL mock draft, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell created one involving a trade for every selection in the first round of this year’s draft.

For Cleveland, that involved two different moves, starting with a complicated trade down from the sixth overall selection: Browns get: 1-12, 1-20, 2027 second-round pick Cowboys get: 1-6, 1-24, 2027 fifth-round pick The fifth-round pick complicates things slightly, but the big ticket item is that Cleveland moves down six spots at the top of the draft and up four later in the first round while adding a key second-round pick next year. Barnwell notes that the Browns “long-term answer under center would be in the 2027 class. ” While a trade with Dallas seems to be a popular proposal, adding just four spots lower in the first round and a ‘27 second-rounder is too light for Cleveland GM Andrew Berry to move out of selecting a premium player in this year’s draft.

Many believe this year’s draft has between six and eight top players, with a drop off to the next 10-20 prospects. Picks 20 and 24 seem to have similar value this year, so adding a selection that could be around pick 60 is not enough value for this deal to go through. With the Browns other first-round pick, Barnwell has the team dropping to the bottom of the first while adding a late third-round pick and a sixth-rounder.