The football world is buzzing over the Cleveland Browns right now. Adding a bevy of high-profile young stars over the last couple of years and a promising finish to the 2018 campaign have many predicting the Browns are destined for playoff success.
The initial ESPN power poll following the 2019 NFL Draft isn’t quite so bullish on the Browns. It does still have the bar raised on expectation, though.
Cleveland ranks “just” No. 15 of the 32 teams. That’s lower than you’ll find the Browns in many contemporary power polls; most have Freddie Kitchens’ squad somewhere between No. 8 and 12.
The context of the ranking is important. The ESPN formula, which leans heavily on sportsbook win total odds, has the Browns projected to win 8.8 games and the odds of making the postseason at just over 51 percent.
Those might seem modest. However, it’s the highest total for both among all the AFC North teams. Pittsburgh and Baltimore rank 16th and 17th, respectively. It seems ESPN expects a tightly packed division, with the Bengals a distant fourth in the early forecast.
