The Cleveland Browns have been the butt of a lot of jokes in recent years for their inability to seemingly do anything right. With new head coach Mike Pettine and new GM Ray Farmer now leading the charge, fans in the city of Cleveland are hoping that things will start heading in a different direction and they can become contenders in the AFC North.
That journey began with their selections this past weekend in the 2014 NFL Draft. They want to build something special in Cleveland, and some of the picks they made over the course of the last three days certainly reflect that intention.
Here’s a look at the complete list of the Browns’ picks.
| Rd 1 – #8(8) | Justin Gilbert (CB) Oklahoma St  |
| Rd 1 – #22(22) | Johnny Manziel (QB) Texas A&M |
| Rd 2 – #3(35) | Joel Bitonio (OT) Nevada |
| Rd 3 – #7(71) | Chris Kirksey (OLB) Iowa |
| Rd 3 – #30(94) | Terrance West (RB) Towson |
| Rd 4 – #27(127) | Pierre Desir (CB) Lindenwood |
With that being said, let’s have a look at the best and worst pick of the Browns organization, as well as the final grade for their 2014 NFL Draft.
Best Pick: Johnny Manziel
Will Johnny Football work on the field? Well, we don’t know that yet, and we won’t until training camp starts. However, what we do know, and we knew this coming in, is that Manziel is a box office phenomenon. Just 12 hours after his selection, his presence was felt in a big way, economically, as season ticket sales for the Browns went through the roof by the thousands.
From a pure marketing standpoint, this was the best pick of the event by the organization, Farmer and Pettine; and when you look at the big picture, if he pans out on the field then this could go down as one of the more historical draft picks in the history of the NFL.
Worst Pick: Not drafting a wide receiver
What also happened hours after the Browns had their best first round of the draft in some time was the news that the top wide receiver on the team, not just the NFL, Josh Gordon is facing a year-long suspension for a second failed drug test.
So right before the second round started on Friday, you would’ve thought the team would choose one of the many, many talented wideouts that were still on the board, however they passed on that, which may come back to bite them down the road.
Final Analysis and Grade
The Browns came into this event with a plan. That was obvious with the immediate move they made in the first round by trading back with the Buffalo Bills where they selected Justin Gilbert, one of the best cornerbacks in the group. Then, they traded up again later in the round to get Manziel.
Basically, the NFL Draft is the ultimate game of human chess, and the Browns played that game to near perfection on Thursday.
While this draft for the team would have gotten an A, I can’t shake that disappointment of not drafting a wide receiver, especially given the circumstances surrounding Gordon.
Final Grade: B-