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Trade Greg Newsome II? How the Browns could get back into the 2024 NFL Draft 1st round
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- Trade Greg Newsome II? How the Browns could get back into the 2024 NFL Draft 1st round
Because of the Deshaun Watson trade , the Cleveland Browns will be without a first-round pick in the NFL Draft for the third consecutive year.
This year the Browns don't have a pick until the second round at No. 54 overall. Should they want to get back into the first round of Thursday's draft, they'll have to get creative.
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Player trades have helped facilitate a move back into the first round recently. In the 2021 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs traded the No. 31 pick as well as third- and fourth-round picks to the Baltimore Ravens for a second-round pick (No. 58 overall), a sixth-round pick and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
It doesn't always require players, though. In 2019, Atlanta Falcons got back into the first round by trading pick Nos. 45 and 79 to the Los Angeles Rams for Nos. 31 and 203.
How the NFL Draft trade value chart helps make deals equal
In the 1990s, Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson created a trade value chart that allotted points to each pick. The higher the pick, the more points the pick was worth. That chart has evolved over the years, and many consider the Fitzgerald-Spielberger chart from Over the Cap to be the standard for calculating trade fairness.
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That 2019 trade between the Falcons and Rams totaled 1,857 points worth of picks from the Rams and 1,567 points from the Falcons. What are the Browns picks worth in this year's draft? Here's how the Fitzgerald-Spielberger chart values them:
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Round 2 - Pick 54 - 979 points
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Round 3 - Pick 85 - 749 points
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Round 5 - Pick 156 - 441 points
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Round 6 - Pick 206 - 300 points
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Round 7 - Pick 227 - 251 points
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Round 7 - Pick 243 - 220 points
Here's how the final picks in the first round are valued:
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Round 1 - Pick 29 - 1,294 points
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Round 1 - Pick 30 - 1,276 points
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Round 1 - Pick 31 - 1,260 points
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Round 1 - Pick 32 - 1,244 points
But it's not as simple as just lining up the points. In theory, the Browns could trade their second- and third-round picks to make a deal for one of the final first-round picks. Not so fast. That Falcons/Rams trade in 2019 happened in part because the Rams were without a second-round pick that year.
Of the final four teams drafting in the first round, all have second-round picks except for the Detroit Lions at No. 29. The Lions gave up that pick in exchange for cornerback Carlton Davis III . But would a team like Detroit, a Super Bowl contender, want extra picks as it makes a push for a title?
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That's where the Browns could get creative.
An NFL Draft trade the Browns could make with the Lions that benefits both
Cleveland Browns center back Greg Newsome II (0) celebrates against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 3, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif.
The Browns go into the draft with the benefit of a stacked roster. Trade talks involving cornerback Greg Newsome II have happened once again this offseason . It just so happens the Lions need a good cornerback .
The Browns could trade their second- and fifth-round picks this year (1,420 points on the trade chart) and Newsome for No. 29 (1,294 points). If that's not enough for Detroit, the Browns could toss in a 2025 pick.
Speculating on a Browns/Ravens NFL Draft trade
Could AFC North foes Cleveland and Baltimore come together for a trade? That happened last year when the Browns traded their final pick in the 2023 draft for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The Ravens have pick No. 30 overall.
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What prospects or positions could the Browns target in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft?
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 2: Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell #5 of the Texas Longhorns catches a pass against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second half of the Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium on December 2, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
If the Browns do make a bold move jumping back into the first round, they'll likely be targeting a player they have a high grade on who is falling.
The Browns' needs line up in some order as defensive tackle , linebacker, wide receiver , offensive line and tight end .
This draft is regarded by many as excellent for wide receivers, starting with Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr . If there is a wide receiver falling in the first round — such as Brian Thomas Jr . of LSU or Adonai Mitchell of Texas — the Browns could jump up.
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At defensive tackle, it would likely be players such as Byron Murphy II of Texas or Johnny Newton of Illinois. For offensive linemen, it could be Troy Fautanu of Washington, Tyler Guyton of Oklahoma or Amarius Mims of Georgia.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What the Browns can do to get into the 2024 NFL Draft 1st round
