CLEVELAND, Ohio — Andrew Berry just delivered one of the better draft classes the Browns have produced in years. Mason Graham. Harold Fannin Jr. Carson Schwesinger. Quinshon Judkins. On paper, 2025 looks like a masterclass in roster-building. The problem? The NFL doesn’t care about last year.

That’s the central tension driving the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode, where host Dan Labbe and Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock issue a clear-eyed warning heading into combine week: Berry’s real test isn’t replicating last year’s success — it’s doing it at the positions where he’s historically fallen flat.

“But now the challenge this year is not just following that up, but following that up at positions where he’s kind of struggled to draft guys, O-line and wide receiver,” Labbe said on the podcast. “I just think that’s what makes this draft so interesting. He had a really great draft last year, but this league’s relentless. We’re onto this year now, and now you’ve got to nail some positions where we’ve seen you miss multiple times.”

Multiple times. That’s not a casual observation. That’s a documented pattern — and Bastock put the full weight of it on display with one pointed challenge to her co-host.

“Who would you consider to be the best wide receiver that Andrew Berry has drafted here? Drafted, not traded for. So we’re taking out Amari Cooper. Best he’s drafted.”

The answer, after a long pause? Donovan Peoples-Jones. A sixth-round pick. A player Cleveland ultimately couldn’t even bring themselves to pay for a second contract. That’s the ceiling of Berry’s wide receiver drafting — not a first-round playmaker, not a consistent starter, but a Day 3 dart throw who made some memorable plays before moving on in free agency.

“(Cedric Tillman) just hasn’t played enough. I was thinking Donovan, you got him in the sixth round and got a couple of good years out of him,” Bastock said. “I genuinely think that speaks to the lack of significant resources they’ve been able to add there. Anthony Schwartz is another guy. David Bell. They have really, really, really struggled with this.”

Anthony Schwartz. David Bell. Draft picks who never developed into starter-level NFL receivers. It’s a résumé at the position that doesn’t inspire confidence — and it lands at exactly the wrong moment, when Cleveland desperately needs explosive playmakers to build around a new offensive identity under Todd Monken.

The offensive line story rhymes. Jedrick Wills was a Top-10 pick who never became the bookend left tackle the organization hoped for. Nick Harris was drafted, released, and cycled back through. Dawand Jones is now more question mark than anchor. The wins at this position group have come largely through free agency, not the draft.

There are reasons for cautious optimism. Monken’s voice in evaluating receiver fits adds a new dimension to the process. And George Warhop — who was instrumental in building Joe Thomas into one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history — now coaches Cleveland’s offensive line, and his input on tackle prospects is expected to carry serious weight.

But optimism isn’t the same as a track record. Berry walks into this draft carrying the weight of every misfire at these two positions. And if the combine week conversation between Labbe and Bastock is any indication, the expectations are high — and the margin for error is shrinking fast.

Don’t miss the full breakdown. Listen to the latest Orange and Brown Talk episode now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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