Hypothetical trade reshapes Browns offense in one draft

The Cleveland Browns will enter the 2026 NFL Draft with 10 selections, including two in the first round, and a self-imposed mandate from general manager Andrew Berry to make a “heavy investment” in the offense.

It is clear that investment is needed, given that the current wide receiver group is depressing; the offensive line is old, injured, and has four starters slated to be free agents; and the quarterback room is as bad as it has ever been.

Not everything can be fixed in one draft, of course, but

Berry does like to maximize his draft assets as much as possible, which includes trading down to gain more draft picks.

Earlier today on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, host Gavin Dawson tossed out the following trade between the Browns and the Dallas Cowboys to his radio crew:

• The Cowboys receive Cleveland’s first-round selection (No. 6 overall) and second-round selection (No. 39 overall) so they can select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
• The Browns receive two first-round selections from the Cowboys, No. 12 and No. 20 overall.

Intriguing? Certainly. Is it something that Berry would consider? Likely.

To see how that trade could play out, we headed to the mock draft simulator at Pro Football Focus, proposed the trade, which the site determined would have a highly likelihood of being accepted, and ran a seven-round mock draft.

Under that scenario, the Browns:

• Address the offensive tackle issue by selecting Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (No. 12 overall) and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor (No. 20 overall)
• Overhaul the wide receiver room with the additions of Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion (No. 24 overall), Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt (Round 3), and USC’s Ja’Kobi Lane (Round 5).
• Add Stanford tight end Sam Roush (Round 4) to fill the hole that David Njoku will leave in free agency.
• Build depth at guard with Iowa’s Beau Stephens (Round 5), safety with Texas’ Michael Taaffe (Round 5), and defensive tackle with Mississippi’s Zxavian Harris (Round 6).
• Pick up their latest developmental quarterback in Arkansas’ Taylen Green, a dual-threat that head coach Todd Monken might have some ideas about how to use.

We all know that drafts rarely if ever come together so neatly, and there is about a zero chance that Lane will still be there in Round 5, but it was still a fun exercise to go through. And if the draft were to fall this way for the Browns, the answer to “who says no to the trade” would certainly not be Berry.

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Now it is your turn, Browns fans. Using PFF’s mock draft simulator, make the trade between the Browns and the Cowboys, run your mock draft, and share the results in the comments!