Cleveland Browns 2017 NFL re-draft: Patrick Mahomes goes no. 1

1 of 7

PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 27: A detailed view of the screen on stage of Myles Garrett of Texas A&M after being picked #1 overall by the Cleveland Browns during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Browns fans may not change a thing now, but if they could go back to the 2017 NFL Draft and get a mulligan, what would they do different?

After their team drafted Baker Mayfield in 2018, traded for Odell Beckham Jr. in 2019, and has put together what appears to be a division title contender in general, Cleveland Browns fans may not change anything about their 2017 NFL Draft class at this particular point in time.

Browns fans are (correctly) thrilled about the direction of their team right now with Mayfield at the QB, a plethora of offensive talent around him, and some really strong, young defensive talent as well.

John Dorsey’s back-to-back top QB picks of Patrick Mahomes (while he was still in Kansas City) and Mayfield in Cleveland have put these two franchises in position to compete in the AFC for the foreseeable future, potentially against each other in the playoffs at some point.

But what if the Browns could go back to 2017 with the benefit of hindsight? After losing all 16 games the year prior, the Browns were in disarray and were armed with three first-round pick in an NFL Draft class that featured some instant-impact players at not only the quarterback position, but all over the field.

Here’s what the Browns came away with in the 2017 NFL Draft.

1a. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
1b. Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
1c. David Njoku, TE, Miami
2. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
3. Larry Ogunjobi, DL, Charlotte
4. Howard Wilson, CB, Houston
5. Roderick Johnson, T, Florida State
6. Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida
7a. Zane Gonzalez, K, Arizona
7b. Matthew Dayes, RB, NC State

Overall, this draft class is not terrible. The Browns got virtually nothing out of their day three picks here, even though Caleb Brantley was supposed to be a day two selection (off-field).

He’s now with the Washington Redskins while Howard Wilson (free agent) and Roderick Johnson (Houston Texans) have played one combined NFL game and Zane Gonzalez (Arizona Cardinals) and Matthew Dayes (New Orleans Saints) are both with different teams as well.

As a matter of fact, only three of the players from this class — Garrett, Njoku, and Ogunjobi — are still with the Browns. Everyone else has been traded or cut.

Those three players are part of the foundation of this team an Garrett looks like a star at the defensive end position, but the Browns could have done better with the Njoku and Ogunjobi picks as well, especially given this was a roster starved for talent and desperate for a QB.

If I could play the role of hindsight GM for the Browns, here’s what they could have had…

Home/NFL Draft