Four questions about Browns' draft plans: How likely is a trade-down from No. 6?

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Cleveland holds pick Nos. 6 and 24 in the first round, two more in the top 70 and nine total. At a time when every team is probably open to discussing draft-day trades, the Browns seem more willing than most to push those conversations forward. But actually finalizing a trade-down depends on which players come off the board in the first five selections, and only then will Cleveland know how the board fits its wish list. For the team and its key decision-makers, the rest of this month is about turning evaluations into actual plans and finalizing last-minute details. New coach Todd Monken is trying to get to know the players already on the roster and give general manager Andrew Berry as much information as possible about how he would prefer to fill various holes on the depth chart. Berry should feel an urgency to fill as many of them as possible, but these Browns don’t feel like a one-year fix. A year after they undoubtedly had their best draft to date, how should Berry and his staff approach this one? How should the Browns handle immediate and glaring needs versus more future-focused decisions? And, to those of us on the outside, what popular talking points might actually lead to real clues? Awkwardly but gently pushing quarterback aside (for now), the Browns clearly need a wide receiver and a starting left tackle. But in what order? And in what world is it easy to find top-shelf players at those positions, even with the No. 6 pick? It feels like there’s less juice surrounding the run-up to this year’s draft as compared to last year. Remember that the Browns held the No. 2 pick and were fairly open about their intent to find a quarterback. Travis Hunter’s highlight reel was must-see TV, and Abdul Carter’s College Football Playoff run made him a household name. There was much to discuss. Riling folks up about potential tackle to guard conversions is a bigger challenge. There’s no quarterback to take at No. 6. The Browns probably have to go offense over defense, but no one knows how they view the tackle class. In his annual must-read draft guide, “The Beast,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote that Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is “a day one NFL starter and potential Pro Bowler.” Brugler’s top tackle, Utah’s Spencer Fano, was a right tackle for his final two college seasons but is considered versatile enough to play anywhere across the line. Tate seems a lock to go in the top nine picks, but it’s unclear if he’ll come off the board in the top five or be available for the Browns at No. 6. Right now, starting their draft with Tate and then taking the other Utah tackle, Caleb Lomu, at No. 24 makes perfect sense for the Browns. Starting with Fano and then taking Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Brugler’s No. 4 receiver, also seems like a solid plan. Concepcion took a formal pre-draft visit to the Browns’ facility on Wednesday. Though they don’t publicly confirm their pre-draft visitors, the group has been wide receiver and offensive tackle-heavy. There’s no real consensus on how picks Nos. 2-5 will shake out, so let’s see what happens — and if the Browns prioritize their biggest immediate needs first. The Browns traded out of the No. 2 pick last year as part of their pivot to the future. That extra first-round pick they acquired from Jacksonville was probably earmarked as one that would either land or help them get a quarterback — more on that later — but it certainly was part of an organizational commitment to adding more young, cost-controlled players who could grow into significant roles. With the Browns holding two first-round picks and still having a lengthy list of offensive needs, another trade-down early in the first round makes sense if they can find a partner. Though it appears unlikely that Cleveland could add a 2027 first-rounder, it might be able to add additional second-day picks in either this draft or next year’s. We’re not calling for a full repeat of a trade that nets a pick intended to be used in a 2027 quarterback hunt, but we’re acknowledging the possibility that such a hunt could be part of the Browns’ path. If the team doesn’t really love any of the offensive tackles at No. 6 but doesn’t want to risk waiting until No. 24 to see the group picked over, it could look to trade, say, three to seven spots down. Even at No. 24, Cleveland could look to move down again if a team picking either late in Round 1 or early in Round 2 targets a certain player. If a trade comes to fruition, the Browns can cite their lengthy list of needs as a good thing in keeping them more open-minded than a team looking to address a specific need. “I think it really just depends on the prospects that are available,” Berry said at the league meetings last week. “I don’t know that we are going to be picking at No. 6 at the end of April, and if we are picking sixth, I have no idea what we’re going to take at this point. And so we try to remain flexible as we go into draft weekend, and we want to use the asset in the best way possible, whether that’s sitting and picking, trading up, trading down, trading it for a veteran player. “I know I said this last year, and people thought it was just GM talk, but it really is the truth.” From what I’ve gathered, no — not in the first round, anyway. Simpson is the No. 2 quarterback in this draft, and no one seems to know if he’ll go in the middle of the first round or even closer to the middle of the second. Simpson was just a one-year college starter, and there’s not much of a track record of those players succeeding early in their NFL careers. Even if the Browns aren’t fully focusing on next year’s draft when it comes to quarterbacks, the team probably feels it can better address its offensive line and wide receiver issues in this year’s first round. Brugler wrote that Simpson is “a mid-level starter at best, a backup at worst,” and he gave the Alabama quarterback a second-round grade. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier received a third-round grade, and the next quarterbacks on Brugler’s list are Penn State’s Drew Allar (third/fourth), North Dakota State’s Cole Payton (fourth) and Miami’s Carson Beck (fourth/fifth), who was a backup at Georgia when Monken was the team’s offensive coordinator. Though there hasn’t been a full-blown quarterback workout tour like last year, the Browns have been assessing all of their draft options. Monken is familiar with most of these quarterbacks from his time coaching in college. Berry is familiar with these quarterbacks from almost a full year of the team considering another quarterback search. Thus far, the 2026 Browns have stuck with the three passers they already had under contract and have set the stage for a spring and summer quarterback competition. I’d be surprised if the quarterback room in September is still Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, but I think the current group is set to have the most realistic shot at winning the job this summer. If Simpson is still on the board headed to the second day, I think Cleveland will more seriously discuss potentially taking him at No. 39. If there’s a trade-down involving No. 6 that nets the Browns an extra Day 2 pick, I’ll go from being fairly confident they’ll draft a developmental quarterback to nearly certain they’re in the quarterback business in this draft — whatever that business ends up being. But for now, I think the Browns are fine giving Sanders a fuller evaluation, with the 2027 quarterback draft class and the possibility of a mid-round (or even post-draft) addition in the background. I’d be surprised. I’ll stop short of saying I’d be completely shocked because this franchise has often landed outside the realm of predictable and logical, but I think the pick has to be used on an offensive player. And, no, I also don’t think it will be Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Brugler’s No. 2 overall prospect. I think the Browns like Quinshon Judkins as their feature runner and understand the need to continue to fortify and reshape their offensive line at different stages of this draft, not just in the first round. Five of the top seven prospects on Brugler’s list play defense. The pass-rush group is considered especially strong, and the No. 1 prospect, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, is a Cleveland native. I just think there would have to be a significant but imperfect storm that would cause the Browns to view a defensive player or Love as their best option at No. 6. Even if there’s going to be a full embrace of the future, I think the Browns would be more likely to take less than what might be considered proper value to trade down and then reassess things over taking a defensive player. If I’m wrong and the Browns take an edge rusher in the top 10, then the Myles Garrett trade warning meter goes from a low level to one that’s extremely high. But I consider that a long-shot scenario, even if the Browns are further down that road than they’ve publicly let on. Over the course of the draft, I could see Cleveland selecting an edge rusher, a safety or a cornerback. But early on, I see the team focusing on offense and trying to maximize its current and future draft ammo. I think a double-up plan that ultimately sees the Browns take two offensive linemen with their first three picks, or use two of their first four picks on wide receivers, is more likely than them using a top-40 selection on more defensive help. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Zac Jackson is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Browns. He is also the host of the "Zac Jackson and Friends" podcast. Previously, Zac covered the Browns for Fox Sports Ohio and worked for Pro Football Talk. Follow Zac on Twitter @AkronJackson