Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Browns came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. Just about everything broke right, and the A- follows.
Getting Fields where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Perkins Jr. pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at edge rusher and safety.
The veteran additions, Jaylin Noel chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Bottom line, they did the job about as well as it can be done.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.24
· Pick 24
· Caleb Lomu
· OT
· rank 28
They paid sticker price for Caleb Lomu in the 24th pick, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R1.31
· Pick 31
· Sonny Styles
· LB
· rank 21
In the 31st overall pick they get the heartbeat of the defense, and a steal at that. More want than need.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· Brandon Cisse
· CB
· rank 36
They did well to land Brandon Cisse in No. 39, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Germie Bernard
· WR
· rank 58
The board had Germie Bernard higher than the Round 3 slot, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.31
· Pick 95
· Malachi Fields
· WR
· rank 73
Steal is underselling it; Malachi Fields at slot 95 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.7
· Pick 107
· Sam Roush
· TE
· rank 92
Value with a capital V on Sam Roush in pick No. 107, a genuine coup. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R4.12
· Pick 112
· Logan Jones
· C
· rank 91
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Logan Jones in slot 112, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Harold Perkins Jr.
· LB
· rank 132
A surprising call. With edge rusher and safety still to address, they spent the 125th overall pick on Harold Perkins Jr., a linebacker they were not short of.
R5.6
· Pick 146
· Kaytron Allen
· RB
· rank 146
Kaytron Allen in the Round 5 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
R5.9
· Pick 149
· Drew Allar
· QB
· rank 156
Drew Allar in pick No. 149 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.31
· Pick 171
· Albert Regis
· DL
· rank 168
Albert Regis at No. 171 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R6.25
· Pick 206
· Ephesians Prysock
· CB
· rank 187
Ephesians Prysock at pick 206 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.