If you are a fan of professional wrestling, you know that more and more the curtain has been pulled back. There are very few, if any, secrets anymore. Only children really suspend belief, much like watching almost any television show or movie, while watching wrestling. There is a lot of good and bad to that for that particular form of entertainment.
Professional sports have become similar, with the veil being lifted by things like “Hard Knocks,” “Unleashed” by the Cleveland Browns, and, now, “The
Pick Is In” on ESPN. Those are just football examples.
We learned on the latest ESPN show focused on the 2026 NFL draft that the Browns turned down multiple trade offers in the first round this year. On that show, we also saw how the sausage is made with a trade as well as Cleveland GM Andrew Berry going over the draft board in Berea, telling everyone that OT Spencer Fano, WR Jordyn Tyson, and OT Francis Mauigoa were their top three targets after the trade:
While we may never know for sure, given the order in which Berry noted the three players, it is likely that Fano was the top option, with Tyson then Mauigoa following. In her piece on Yahoo Sports, Epstein noted that the monitors showed the odds of each player being available when they were to select with the ninth pick, but did not indicate in which order Cleveland had the three players ranked.
Of the three options Berry went over, only one of his top choices, Tyson, was off the board when they picked ninth, selecting Fano. While fans and media have more and more access through these shows, we will never know for sure how the Browns had the three options ranked. Is it possible that Tyson was ahead of Fano? Sure. On the other hand, the order in which Berry read off the names seems indicative that Fano topped the list.
Either way, getting to watch Berry work the phones and see the thought process, where they knew they would leave with one of their top options, was interesting. Much like last year’s Jacksonville Jaguars trade, it also seemed like Berry had already worked out the details of trading down three spots before the draft even started.
A smooth operation run in Berea, and the Browns got their guy in Fano. Would they have selected Tyson if all three were available? We will probably never know. Would any of the three have been available if Berry had accepted the Cowboys trade offer earlier? Probably not:
What are your thoughts while watching that video clip above? Any chance Tyson was ranked ahead of Fano for the Browns?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below
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