The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft is over, and the Cleveland Browns surprisingly came out the other side in pretty good shape. It may not have gone the way many would have preferred or expected, but Andrew Berry’s performance in the first round was a work of art.
Normally, trading down in the top half of the first round produces undesirable results, but with this specific draft class and the trade that was executed by Cleveland, the Browns should be in much better shape by taking this approach rather than selecting an unrefined hybrid player at two.
Controversial trade down was the right move
Cleveland went against the grain with the second overall pick and decided to trade down with Jacksonville, subsequently passing on Heisman Winner Travis Hunter. Many thought the Browns were a lock to select Hunter, but apparently, very few people are fluent in Andrew Berry speak.
Berry has a tell when discussing players that apparently nobody in the local or national media has figured out yet. The more he publicly talks about and compliments a player, the less likely it is that the player will put on a Browns uniform afterward. It has happened plenty of times before, not just with draft picks but with players who were once on Cleveland’s roster and have become free agents.
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Go back and look at the players that Berry has talked about extensively who were not on Cleveland’s roster at the time and see where they landed. Chances are, they did not end up on the Browns. It was clear as day that Hunter was never their pick at second overall, but nobody was paying any attention or was living in complete denial about this possibility.
Trading down and passing on Hunter may not have been popular, but it was the right move. Cleveland acquires extra draft capital for this and future drafts, including having an additional second-rounder in the first five selections coming from Jacksonville.
The strength and depth of this draft were always going to be found after round one, and getting more selections in this range is going to help the Browns solidify the foundation of their roster.
This is exactly how a team that is thin on talent should be operating. Adding picks in this draft and consolidating others through other trades puts the Browns in a position to get the most out of this specific draft. Cleveland now has a chance to select Nick Chubb’s replacement with one of their second-rounders, and they could bolster their defense even further by adding another defender.
Mason Graham will strengthen Cleveland’s defensive interior
With the fifth overall pick coming via Jacksonville, the Browns selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. It is not a splashy or sexy pick by any means, but it should turn out to be an impactful one.
One of the most underappreciated aspects of an effective defense is creating interior pressure, and Cleveland has had trouble doing that consistently for a very long time. Good interior defensive linemen can disrupt a quarterback’s timing, and that is always a welcome development in the eyes of a defender.
This can lead to the opposing quarterback holding the ball longer or even force him right into the arms of a pass rusher if they are forced to move out of the pocket, creating more opportunities for Myles Garrett and whoever they line up on the opposite side of the line from him.
The most important part of any defense is their pass rush, and by selecting Graham to insert into the middle of their defensive front, their pass rush just got a whole lot better.
One last thing about Graham. If anyone is hung up on the fact he attended the University of Michigan, they need to grow up immediately. The jersey a player once wore on Saturdays has zero impact on anything. The only thing anyone should care about here is which jersey he wears on Sundays, and for Graham, that will be the uniform of the Cleveland Browns.