NFL.com gave its draft grades after one round in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.
As for any draft, we will honestly know how these picks will pan out years down the road, but it does not stop grades from prematurely being given out.
When it comes to the team that had the worst first-round NFL Draft grade, that distinction has been given to the Cleveland Browns. The team received a D from NFL.com since they didn’t have a first-round pick due to their trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson years ago.
The article gave them a lousy grade since the deal has yet to truly work out, and Deshaun Watson has yet to come back to the form he was when he played for the Houston Texans.
“Cleveland sat out another first round due to the Deshaun Watson trade. The deal will continue to be questioned if Watson can’t regain the form he showed prior to sitting out the 2021 season and serving an 11-game suspension in 2022. He showed some signs of turning things around early last season before an injury sidelined him the rest of the year, but Watson needs to stay on the field long enough to lift the team to new heights,” NFL.com‘s Chad Reuter wrote.
After trading for six picks, including three first-round selections, to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans, the Browns gave the former Clemson football star a deal extension worth $230 million in fully guaranteed money.
The Texans traded that first-round draft pick (No. 23 overall) and a seventh-rounder to the Minnesota Vikings last month. They received the No. 42 selection, a sixth-round draft pick, and a 2025 second-rounder in the deal.
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The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns will both be in the running in the second or third rounds in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is scheduled for Friday.
The Browns will participate in the 2024 NFL Draft tonight with a selection in Round 2 (at pick No. 54 overall) and Round 3 (at pick No. 85 overall), unless something changes.
Cleveland Browns Hoping Deshaun Watson Can Remind Them Why They Gave Up Draft Capital
Last year, Deshaun Watson underwent season-ending surgery to repair his throwing shoulder.
Fortunately, Joe Flacco came in and led the team to the playoffs.
The team hopes that Watson can stay healthy and remind them why they gave up so many draft picks to acquire him.
Also Read: New Report Accuses Deshaun Watson of Stopping the Browns From Bringing Back Joe Flacco
