Andrew Berry’s Most Underrated NFL Draft Move Will Help Browns Next Year

The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and the early returns are that the Cleveland Browns aced it again.

For the second consecutive year, Browns general manager Andrew Berry has received tremendous grades for selection Spencer Fano, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the first 60 selections. All of those players were projected first-round picks.

The Browns made more than five trades throughout draft weekend, landing them with a rookie class of 10 prospects and more draft capital in 2027.

Additional draft capital will help Browns in 2027

NFL general managers were holding onto 2027 draft picks like gold throughout the entire weekend. Only three 2027 draft picks were moved, and the Browns received two of them. 

Unless Shedeur Sanders can prove to be the franchise quarterback for the Browns in his first season with new head coach Todd Monken, Cleveland’s QB1 of the future probably awaits them in the 2027 NFL Draft. 

At No. 74 overall (which the Browns received in their first-round trade back with the Kansas City Chiefs), the New York Giants sent Berry a 2027 fourth-round pick to move up for Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields. The Browns also received No. 105 and No. 145 from New York in that deal, which was a tremendous amount of value for Berry to bail out of the third round. 

The Browns weren’t done adding 2027 fourth-round picks quite yet. Berry sent No. 148 overall straight up to the Seattle Seahawks, who used the draft pick on Iowa guard Beau Stephens. In exchange for that selection, the Browns received a 2027 fourth-round pick, straight up.

The only other 2027 draft pick that was traded was when the Philadelphia Eagles sent a third-round pick next season to the Minnesota Vikings in a package for Jonathan Greenard.

What picks will the Browns have next year?

The Browns have their own selections in every round besides the sixth round next season. 

In Round 4 next year, the Browns will have three total selections. In Round 5, the Browns will have two selections, as they have an additional 2027 fifth-round pick from the draft day trade in 2025 with the Houston Texans. The Browns also currently have a pair of seventh-round picks after acquiring an extra selection from the Texans in the pick swap trade for Cam Robinson.

Berry made 10 selections in 2026 and currently has 10 selections for next year’s class.

“I talked about our goal heading into the weekend is not just the first round, but it’s how do we maximize the resources that we head into the draft with?” Berry said.

The Browns maximized value throughout the entire weekend and set themselves up to ace a third straight draft in 2027.

Utilizing a few of these extra selections could help Berry trade up the draft board, especially if the Browns are too talented to lose their way into the top selection next year. Or, the Browns would be able to sacrifice future draft capital (into 2028 and beyond) to acquire their quarterback of the future, understanding that they already have bonus draft picks to be able to trade back up if needed. 

Flexibility is the name of the game for Berry as a general manager, and the Browns are already better suited than most teams other than the New York Jets heading into the 2027 NFL Draft.