Andrew Berry hasn't drafted a receiver higher than No. 74 in six previous Browns drafts. Will that change this year? (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Andrew Berry would like everyone to believe anything is possible when the GM conducts his seventh Browns draft on April 23-25.
Trade down from No. 6?
“Our mindset going into the draft, with our most valuable asset, isn’t about, ‘Hey, just trade it away.’ It’s maximizing the asset,” Berry said Thursday at his annual pre-draft press conference.
“And that can, at different times, take different forms. It can be selecting a player, it could be trading it for a veteran, it could be trading down, it could be trading up. We will continue to work through all those possibilities up until, really, we get on the clock on Thursday night.”
Trade up from No. 6?
“That’s certainly a possibility,” Berry said.
Draft a quarterback to join the competition among Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel – or at least join the room as QB4?
“Yeah, I think it’s possible,” Berry said. “I mean, quite frankly, it’s possible that we could add to any position. That’s really the truth. And I wouldn’t disqualify quarterback either. No.”
Take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 6?
“He’s a pretty special, unique prospect,” Berry said. “You know, there are some players that … they transcend scheme and they make a unique impact on the game. We should be able to find a way to use those players.”
Take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, Todd Monken’s former recruit as offensive coordinator at Georgia?
“Son of a coach, really smart, very driven, he’s physically talented,” Berry said. “He has a very unique college journey, in terms of coming in as a five-star [recruit] and then really having to wait his turn behind two pretty talented quarterbacks -- Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe -- before getting his chance under center. And he did a great job maximizing it. So, we’ve really enjoyed our time with Ty.”
What about trading a veteran player (hint hint: Myles Garrett or Denzel Ward)?
“You have a bunch of trade discussions throughout the weekend and everything like that, so I couldn’t handicap anything as we sit here today,” Berry said. “In terms of our guys or what we do, I’d say we’ll do anything that can help the team, move the roster forward. But I think that’s much less likely, yeah.”
The reality, though, is that Berry’s actions in free agency have pinned him in a corner.
Despite four transactions on the offensive line, he still has gaping holes at the left tackle and center positions.
And he has done nothing to upgrade the league’s most anemic wide receiver corps.
So with a week to go before the draft, the Browns’ highest priorities remain the same as when the pre-draft season began in February. The league’s worst offense over the past two seasons needs a left tackle and a receiver – two positions that Berry has not been particularly adept at evaluating in the draft.
It’s impossible for Berry to camouflage those needs as he talks trade with other GMs throughout the week.
Here’s the latest on the two positions most likely to be targeted with Berry’s picks in the first round:
Offensive tackle
The quandary here is that the draft’s consensus top two linemen – Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano – are viewed as stronger prospects at positions other than left tackle.
Mauigoa played right tackle for the CFP runner-up Hurricanes, but volunteered to take reps at guard to improve his draft stock. Fano started one season at left tackle at Utah, but finished his last two seasons at right tackle. Fano’s versatility – and short arms -- prompted some teams at the Combine to have him take reps at guard and center.
While several other linemen are expected to fall off the board in the first round, none is considered worthy of being taken at No. 6, for a variety of reasons. These include athletic but inexperienced Monroe Freeling of Georgia, behemoth Kadyn Proctor of Alabama, lithe Caleb Lomu of Utah, and Clemson iron-man Blake Miller of Strongsville.
Berry continues to maintain the distinction between left and right tackle has been blurred because pass rushers now routinely come from either side.
“I think every player is unique,” Berry said. “I think certainly it’s a good offensive line group. Look, some players that are, and we see this every year, but some players that are college tackles may move inside just because of their physical characteristics, whether it’s athleticism or length or something along those lines. Some have multi-aligned inside, outside, some have lined up on both sides of the line of scrimmage. So you really do take it case by case because I don’t think there’s necessarily a one size-fits-all rule.
“Tackles are tackles. You’re looking for certain characteristics because they’ve all got to be able to protect on an edge. You know, top rushers are not staying one side of the ball. So we really do analyze it within the aggregate position.”
Berry’s first draft pick as Browns GM was Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills with the No. 10 pick of the 2020 draft. Wills played right tackle his entire career at Alabama. He was moved to left tackle with the Browns and started 57 games in five seasons, and missed 25 games due to various injuries. Wills sat out the entire 2025 season with a nagging knee injury and recently was signed by the Chicago Bears.
Wide receiver
In six Browns drafts, Berry hasn’t taken a receiver higher than No. 74 overall. That was Cedric Tillman in 2023, who has not established himself in three seasons.
Berry was handicapped without a first-round picks in 2022-24 because of the Watson trade. He also opted to trade second-round picks on two occasions in that time. So he compensated by trading for veteran receivers Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Jerry Jeudy.
“I think it’s not a philosophical thing,” Berry said of not devoting a high pick to a receiver.
It’s overdue for Berry to take a swing on a receiver, whether at No. 6 or No. 24.
The candidates at No. 6 are Carnell Tate of Ohio State and Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State.
“They’re both excellent players,” Berry said. “They both have size. You know, they both can separate, good hands. Obviously, Carnell, if he’s not an NFL receiver, he probably could be a trapeze artist with how acrobatic he is. And you know, Jordyn’s an excellent creator with the ball in his hands. So, they’re two excellent, excellent prospects.”
After them, the leading prospects at No. 24 are Makai Lemon of USC, KC Concepcion of Texas A&M, Omar Cooper of Indiana, Denzel Boston of Washington, Germie Bernard of Alabama, and Chris Bell of Louisville.
Certainly, anything is possible in this coming Browns draft. But if Berry fails to produce a starting left tackle and wide receiver, it will be difficult for new coach Todd Monken to do much better offensively than Kevin Stefanski did the last two seasons.