The Browns had more picks in the 2016 NFL draft than any other team. But their 2016 haul is nothing compared to what they have in 2017 and 2018.
After yesterday’s Brock Osweiler trade, the Browns now have a whopping eight picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, as well as the first pick in the third round this year, for a whopping nine Top 65 picks in 2017 and 2018. Here’s the full haul:
The No. 1 overall pick in 2017.
The No. 12 overall pick in 2017 (from Philadelphia).
The No. 33 overall pick in 2017.
The No. 52 overall pick in 2017 (from Tennessee).
The No. 65 overall pick in 2017.
Their own first-round pick in 2018.
Their own second-round pick in 2018.
Philadelphia’s second-round pick in 2018.
Houston’s second-round pick in 2018.
The analytics people running the Browns have prioritized acquiring future draft picks, and they’ve done it masterfully. No team in the NFL has anything close to the draft capital the Browns have over the next two years.
The question, of course, is what the Browns will do with all those picks. Trade a bunch of them for Jimmy Garoppolo or another quarterback? Use one to draft a franchise quarterback? Stockpile the roster with talent on both sides of the ball?
Or will the Browns squander those picks with bad players? Having a lot of picks is no guarantee of success. But it is clear that the Browns are building their team exactly the way they want to, with a bounty of draft picks.
