New behind-the-scenes footage from ESPN's "The Pick Is In" documentary series reveals the 2026 NFL Draft could've gone a lot differently on night one. For instance, the Cleveland Browns actually appeared to be one of the most savvy teams in the first round.
As the New Orleans Saints submitted their pick for Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 8 overall, the Dallas Cowboys were looking to move up to No. 9 from No. 12 to get ahead of the New York Giants' second selection of the night. Cleveland owned that pick (plus a few others) thanks to a trade back with the Kansas City Chiefs moments before.
The Browns also declined the following trade offer from the Cowboys: No. 9 and 24 for No. 12, 20 and a fifth-round pick. https://t.co/DEgLKfzSbt pic.twitter.com/jOlrB1WzqD
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) May 4, 2026
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones, son of owner and general manager Jerry, got Cleveland GM Andrew Berry on the phone and offered to swap both of his first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20) for the Browns' (Nos. 9 and 24). Essentially, Dallas would move up early in the round while moving back later.
Berry wasn't having it and even turned down a "sweetened deal" with Dallas throwing in a fifth-rounder. It was probably the smartest thing the Browns have done on draft day in quite awhile.
What the Browns turning down the trade tells us
The two biggest takeaways from this would-be swap are that Cleveland seems to have finally learned how to prioritize team building. Last year, it could've easily fallen into the first-round trap for QB Shedeur Sanders but instead landed him in the fifth round after gambling well on his slide. This year, Berry managed to bring in a haul of picks from Kansas City and still land the best offensive lineman in the draft as he targeted.
Berry and the Browns could've easily taken Dallas' offer and justified moving back for acquiring an additional pick and still getting a top lineman. But they wouldn't have gotten Utah's Spencer Fano as they did, who probably would've landed with the New York Giants who took Miami's Francis Mauigoa tenth overall. The trade off in that scenario is being four picks higher later in the round, which could've meant USC wideout Makai Lemon was available to make up for missing out on Tyson.
Instead, Berry held firm and still got a quality receiver in Texas A&M's KC Concepcion. It was a master class in discipline from a new blood GM and a sign of the Jones family's waning influence in the league.
What the Cowboys told us with their attempt to trade up
Both Jerry Jones and his son are quite used to making deals with teams during the draft and given Cleveland's less-than-stellar track record in the draft previously, the Browns looked like a willing participant after moving with Kansas City already.
Swapping first-rounders appeared to be a rather even deal at the surface level, but Jones was really trying to fleece Cleveland in order to avoid losing a star defender to a division rival. NFL Gold's draft trade simulator gave the Browns flying colors on its swap with the Chiefs but questioned the value of Dallas' proposal. Who knows what tool Berry used to help make his decision, but Jones' last-minute pressure tactic wasn't enough to push Cleveland into a rash choice.
Eventually the Cowboys made a swap with the Miami Dolphins to go up one spot to No. 11 after the Giants took Mauigoa instead of safety Caleb Downs like many thought might happen. In the end, Jones looked kind of foolish for wanting to make that trade with Cleveland and essentially just confirming the Giants' original choice for them. He's still a bit of a fool, anyways.
What we learned about the Dolphins' plans by trading with Dallas
If Miami was willing to trade with Dallas, that meant there was not serious interest from the team in selecting Downs at No. 11. Jones was going to get him (probably) at No. 12 anyways if he stood pat. If Miami was actually going to take such a coveted prospect as Downs, they would've waved off Dallas immediately and never looked back.
Now, all that being said, the Dolphins deserve some flack for passing up on Downs in a year where they need all the defense they can get. OT Kayden Proctor is a good pick but stopping the bleeding in the secondary should've taken priority.
On top of that, how did Miami not land Dallas' second first-rounder in the swap? Jones wanted to give it to Cleveland and instead Miami didn't even ask for it. The Dolphins settled for late-rounders on that trade and also missed out on what could be a generational talent at safety. What a weird moment in NFL history where the Browns outsmarted the Cowboys and the Dolphins ended up the ultimate losers in this saga.
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