CLEVELAND, Ohio — Would I have preferred the Browns to keep the No. 2 pick and draft Travis Hunter?

Absolutely!

Do I think there are reasons to be upbeat about the Browns’ offseason and the overall approach to the draft?

Let’s answer that question like this …

“Tough, Smart & Accountable” are back.

That was the theme when GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski were hired in 2020, and it has prevailed at different times. The mindset drove them through the unique challenges of the COVID-19 season with a rookie coach to the first (and last) playoff victory since the Browns returned in 1999.

I also believed “Tough, Smart & Accountable” helped them find a way to finish 11-6 and make the 2023 playoffs — winning games with four different quarterbacks. Remember them winning a few gritty games with P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson? Then came Joe Flacco to close the deal and punch the ticket to the playoffs. That also was Stefanski’s finest season as coach.

But the Deshaun Watson deal and all the controversy, injuries, traded draft picks, etc., sidetracked the Browns from their original mission along the way — including the miserable 3-14 season in 2024.

I give owner Jimmy Haslam credit for at least taking some of the blame for the trade, then allowing Berry and Stefanski a fresh start for the 2025 season. It would have been business as usual to fire everyone. To Haslam’s credit, he resisted the temptation.

Browns believe Quinshon Judkins has some Nick Chubb-type qualities. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

What about now?

Yes, there are regrets about not having Hunter. I still believe he’ll be a remarkable player for Jacksonville.

But the Browns took Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, a projected top-five pick by the majority of NFL draft experts.

“He’s got a nastiness to him,” said Stefanski. “He has a bit of an edge … a big edge. I just like what he brings to this football team. We talk a lot about scheme fit, but I also think his competitive nature … his toughness … that’s a big part of this as well.”

I doubt the Browns had Graham rated over Hunter, but they do love Graham.

The Nick Chubb spirit

When the Browns traded the No. 2 pick, they added Graham at No. 5. The next part of the deal was the No. 36 pick. That became Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.

“He’s really a bell cow,” said Berry. “He’s a versatile runner who can run through you, by you and around you.”

While the Browns were careful not to compare him directly to Nick Chubb (the ultimate in “Tough, Smart & Accountable”), they saw Chubb-like qualities in Judkins.

“We’ve been spoiled over the years with Nick (Chubb) and Kareem (Hunt),” said Berry. “We feel like he (Judkins) is in that mold in terms of skill set … not saying he will develop into one of those players … but we think he can carry the load for us.”

Judkins played two years at Mississippi and was an All-SEC selection. He then transferred to OSU, where he had a terrific season — scoring eight TDs in the Buckeyes’ four-game playoff drive to the national title. He rushed for 45 TDs in his three college seasons.

“When you get down to the goal line, the field shrinks,” said Browns assistant GM Glenn Cook. “You want a guy who can power through tackles and challenge the line of scrimmage on his own … He’s 5-foot-11, 220 pounds, squats over 600 pounds and runs under a 4.5 (40-yard dash). He’s just a very gifted individual.”

Or as Browns assistant GM Catherine Hickman said of Judkins: “His physicality, his contact balance and the way he runs with strength is seen in Nick (Chubb) … I’m not saying this is Nick … but his style of play will fit nicely into what we’re trying to do.”

Cook added: “He’s an AFC North back. He brings the brand of football we want.”

I probably would have taken fellow OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson over Judkins, but I really like both of them.

Picking a running back at No. 36 is another sign of the Browns returning to the “Tough, Smart & Accountable” approach to offense rather than the empty-backfield pass-first strategy of a year ago.

Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin caught 117 passes in 2024. Al Goldis, AP

Tight ends are back!

The Browns are returning to their roots with the running game, the zone-blocking schemes and tight ends being a part of the offense.

The Browns took Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who caught 117 passes — that’s right 117 PASSES! — last season. He’s a Canton McKinley product, and Berry gushed about him.

“He’s a really good ball in hand player, can separate as a pass catcher despite being a little bit undersized,” said Berry “He’s really a good movement style blocker and he fits perfectly in terms of what Kevin and (offensive coordinator) Tommy (Rees) want to do philosophically on the offense.”

Berry called Fannin “the queen on the chessboard” because he can be set up different places along the line of scrimmage.

“He’s a mismatch piece in terms of how defenses are going to have to account for him and David (Njoku) on the field,” said Berry.

During the Watson Era, the Browns lost their identity as a run-heavy, tight-end-driven offense. That should change.

The 2025 draft is giving Kevin Stefanski something to look forward to as he gets the Browns back to their winning roots.John Kuntz, cleveland.com

The Big Picture

The Browns took linebacker Carson Schwesinger to open the second round. He is a former walk-on at UCLA who became a special teams star first, and then an impact linebacker who earned a scholarship.

The 6-2, 242-pound Schwesinger led all FBS schools in tackles. He also averaged 7.5 solo tackles per game, also the most in the FBS.

“He can blitz, he’s super smart and aggressive,” said Berry. “He’s a modern-day archetype.”

That means a linebacker somewhat like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who is fast, can help in coverage as well as attack the passer. Schwesinger also is a bioengineering major.

“He brings a walk-on mentality to our program,” said Hickman. “From a work ethic and leadership standpoint, he’s invaluable.”

The Browns also drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round. They like the Oregon QB a lot. He’s only 5-11. We’ll see how that works out. It’s a sign the Browns were not high on the QBs available to them in the first few rounds of the draft. Nor were they going to force it by making a risky pick.

They will add Gabriel to Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco as Stefanski and Rees work with an all-new QB group compared to 2024. They know they need to add a young QB at some point, but this was not the time.

I like the draft along with the additions of Flacco and Pickett, which allows Stefanski to return to an offense that was successful in 2020 and 2023. It even was respectable with Jacoby Brissett in 2022. They were ranked 10th in scoring in Brissett’s 11 starts that season.

Stefanski seems excited about the draft.

“These are good players,” he said. “These are good people. These are people we want in our building. We want to embrace them into what we believe. They certainly are made of the right stuff.”

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