CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com) Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
As I headed into my survey of today’s Cleveland Browns news sources, the ticker showed 90+ stories among credentialed outlets such as the local ex-newspapers, TV stations, and networks. I went through them and highlighted perhaps two or three that I thought were of interest.
That’s not an indictment of the fine work being done by local journalists, but it is an indictment of my level of interest at this point in the draft process. This time during the draft, you get a lot of stories about “risers” and “fallers,” which I know empirically are mostly empty, and there are a lot of mock drafts and speculation. I’m more of the “let’s get this going” mindset at this point, having already seen the Browns linked to every big offensive tackle and wide receiver prospect in the draft.
Among the common trains of thought (groupthink is at play at this point), is that the Browns will inevitably try to trade down to secure additional selections and get better perceived value in the bottom two-thirds of the first round and top of the second. Looking at the teams below the Browns in the draft order, though, only two really jump out as logical trade partners: Dallas and Kansas City.
Dallas is of particular interest, as the Browns and Cowboys interests are aligned – Dallas needs defensive help in a big way, and the top ten of the draft is loaded with defensive talent. The Browns are pretty set on defense, and need more lottery tickets to fix their offense in a draft where there’s a dearth of blue-chip offensive talent. So, most analysts have put two and two together at this point in the process and are featuring a trade between the Browns and Cowboys in their mock drafts.
In fact, three were released in the past few days that all feature trades between the Browns and Cowboys.
– Mel Kiper: Cowboys send picks 12 and 20 to Cleveland for 6 and 39 — giving the Browns three first-rounders.
– Todd McShay: Cowboys send 12, 92, and a 2027 second-rounder for No. 6.
– Dane Brugler: Cowboys send 12, 20, and a 2027 fourth-rounder for 6 and 39.
I have a big favorite among the three proposals, and it’s Todd McShay’s idea of getting back a 2027 second-rounder. With Todd Monken trying to make a splash in his first year as Browns head coach, this team will not be satisfied with playing for the top pick in next year’s draft. There’s no way to assume they’ll get it, so they’re going to need some ammunition to move up if needed to get their long-sought franchise quarterback. I want 2027 draft capital – full stop.
Of course, I get those folks who hate the idea of counting on next year’s draft, as the season to come will take the shine off some of the top prospects, just as it did in 2025. But I’m convinced that the Browns’ clearest path to a franchise quarterback is in the 2027 draft, and I want picks in that draft to deal. Having four picks in the top forty in a mediocre draft is not that exciting to me.
Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
OBR GOODIES
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OBR ARTICLES
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– Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 04/15/26: Panning for Gold in a Stream of Nonsense
– Who Will Realistically Be Left For The Cleveland Browns At Six?
FROM THE FORUMS
– Uni’s
– Deshaun Watson being an option?
– Top 10
– Deshaun Watson being an option?
– OT: 2026 NFL Mock Draft Thread
– sort of OT – dislocated my shoulder
– Draft Countdown 7+ Days – 4/23/26
– LiveWire Thread for 4/15 – Twitter, Video, Articles
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…
– The 7 best sci-fi movie soundtracks of all time
OK, this isn’t a “lift” per se, but it fired me up because it is so damn WRONG. Any list of top all-time movie soundtracks – especially one that drifts towards sci-fi like this one – and that doesn’t include “Inception” in the list is just foolish. Inception is a soundtrack I listen to all the time while working, and it’s one of the very few soundtracks that cleverly doubles as a plot device, in that the sound that wakes up dream participants is actively played throughout. I consider it completely brilliant and am deeply offended that it’s not mentioned here. Offended, I say!
WRAPPING UP
When not dreaming bigger, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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