The 2023 NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City from April 27-29, and the Browns have been among the busiest teams in free agency with a clear lack of draft compensation. Here are the best and worst moves they’ve made so far.
BEST | Signing Dalvin Tomlinson
Cleveland had a clear hole on the interior of its defensive line and Tomlinson will certainly fill it standing at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds. The Browns signed him to a four-year, $57M contract and the move received an A+ grade from Pro Football Focus.
Tomlinson had 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 2022 while still missing four games. Cleveland didn’t have a player with more than three sacks outside of DE Myles Garrett in 2022. The former second-round pick should provide more splash for the Browns in 2023 as well as take away some pressure from Garrett, which should give opposing offenses nightmares.
BEST | Trading for Elijah Moore
Cleveland traded its second-round pick (No. 42) to the Jets for WR Elijah Moore and a third-round pick (No. 74). The Browns were likely to draft a receiver anyway and they only had to move down 32 spots to get an up-and-coming player in Moore.
Moore, who is still only 22, has 80 catches for 984 yards and six touchdowns through his first two seasons. He still has two years left on his rookie deal as well which helps Cleveland work against the cap with Watson’s large five-year, $230M fully guaranteed contract on the books.
WORST | No picks until third round of 2023 NFL Draft
General manager Andrew Berry continues to give his best Les Snead impression, but as a result, the Browns aren’t scheduled to make their first selection until the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
After trading three first-round picks as part of the package for QB Deshaun Watson a year ago and a second-rounder for Moore this year, Cleveland won’t pick until No. 74. The team still has eight picks in the draft but just two in the top 100.
There are still gems to be found in the later rounds of the draft but it will be no easy task.
WORST | Losing D’Ernest Johnson
The Browns are in need of running back depth with Jerome Ford, who had just eight rushes for 12 yards in 2022, sitting behind Nick Chubb. The team could have re-signed Johnson who totaled 967 yards and three touchdowns during his time in Cleveland, but the Jaguars beat them to it.
Kareem Hunt, who has created quite the running back duo with Chubb for the past four years, is still a free agent. However, if the Browns decide to move on from Hunt as well, they have a clear need at running back heading into the draft.
