As part of the deal, Cleveland will also receive selections No. 74 in Round 3 and No. 148 in Round 5, increasing its draft capital for the remainder of the draft.
The move keeps the Browns aligned with two of their biggest needs—offensive tackle and wide receiver—where value should remain strong at No. 9 overall.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry described the plan as “maximizing the asset,” not simply trading away the top pick, and said the approach can take different forms depending on the situation.
“Our mindset going into the draft with our most valuable asset isn’t about, ‘Hey, just trade it away,’” Berry said. “It’s maximizing the asset. And that can, at different times, take different forms.”
The decision reflects a flexible, asset-driven strategy designed to optimize the Browns’ draft capital while addressing clear weaknesses on the roster.
