The Browns have spent decades collecting all kinds of football history, from the glory days to the painful stuff, and now they’ve landed in another familiar offseason conversation: who on this roster is valuable enough to command a first-round pick in a trade?
That question comes from Bill Barnwell’s latest ESPN column, where he looked across the league’s 32 teams and tried to identify the players who would return at least one first-rounder if they were dealt. Some names barely need explaining.
Quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Patrick Mahomes are the kind of stars teams build around, not shop. Others are more complicated, even if they’re elite talents, like Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, both of whom were traded during the offseason, though Crosby’s deal ultimately fell through.
For Cleveland, Barnwell’s answer starts with the player the Browns insisted on getting back in the Garrett trade: defensive end Jared Verse. Barnwell’s read is that it would take more than a first-round pick to get Verse out of Cleveland.
He also sees a first-rounder as enough to move rookie offensive tackle Spencer Fano, second-year defensive tackle Mason Graham, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who is coming off being named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Two other Browns came close, but not quite. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. misses because teams usually don’t spend first-round picks on tight ends, while cornerback Denzel Ward falls short because of his age.
It’s the kind of summer exercise that invites debate, and this one is no different. With Andrew Berry on a leave of absence, the question now turns to the roster itself: who on the Browns would really bring back a first-round pick?
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