The Cleveland Browns had a rare chance in 2018 to change the shape of the franchise, and former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley says they came awfully close to making the kind of draft that could have altered everything.
Haley was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator at the time, when the Browns were coming off a 0-16 season and suddenly held the No. 1 pick. They also had Houston’s top selection from a 2017 draft-day trade, the same deal that sent the Texans up for Deshaun Watson.
Instead of the path Haley says he wanted, the Browns used the first overall pick on Baker Mayfield and took Denzel Ward at No. 4. It was a solid haul, but not one that was enough to lift Cleveland past Pittsburgh.
In a recent interview, Haley said the Browns had a much bigger opportunity in front of them. His plan was to take Saquon Barkley with the first pick and Josh Allen at No.
- Looking back now, that would have been one of the most explosive draft swings in recent memory.
Barkley wasted no time becoming a star. Injuries have interrupted him at times, but he remains one of the league’s best running backs. Allen, meanwhile, took longer to blossom, but he has grown into a generational quarterback and is now arguably the most valuable player on the field.
Mayfield did give Cleveland some success, and Ward has developed into one of the better cornerbacks in the league. But that package looks much smaller next to the idea of landing two of the best players at their positions in the same draft.
Allen was the real gamble in Haley’s vision. His mechanics were rough coming out of school, and Buffalo spent real time fixing them. He needed patience from both the staff and the fanbase to reach this level.
Haley doesn’t think Cleveland would have offered that kind of runway. Hue Jackson was a horrible head coach, and Haley wasn’t doing much better on offense. Both were gone in the middle of the 2018 season.
Browns fans wanted results fast, and Allen likely would not have delivered them right away. Barkley would have helped, sure, but even that might not have been enough to calm things down.
Still, Haley’s point is clear: the Browns were close to drafting two players who were on pace to end up in the Hall of Fame. Instead, Cleveland missed on that chance, and Pittsburgh got to keep watching its AFC North rival stay stuck in the cellar.
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