Browns turned down multiple trades in 1st round of 2026 NFL draft

Andrew Berry, general manager, and Jimmy Haslam, owner, chat at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026. | Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Cleveland Browns came out of the 2026 NFL draft smelling like roses; now, the team must put it together on the field. Winning cures all , as HC Todd Monken has said, among a myriad of other things , recently.

This year’s draft, like the 2025 NFL draft , started with GM Andrew Berry trading down from near the top of the draft order . Berry ended up with an extra third and fifth round picks from the Kansas City Chiefs to slide down three spots before selecting OT Spencer Fano with the ninth overall selection. A new show on ESPN, “The Pick Is In,” included behind-the-scenes footage from the Browns draft war room throughout the night.

We learned during the show that the Dallas Cowboys tried to trade up to the ninth pick. First, Dallas offered a swap of picks 12 and 20 for Cleveland’s picks 9 and 24. Berry dismissed that quickly.

Then, Stephen Jones, son of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, offered to add a fifth-round pick, which was also dismissed quickly by the Browns GM. Interestingly, the first offer had been sent over via text to two different front office people, including Berry. With no response, Jones made the phone call to make the two different offers.