When is the No. 17 pick not a first-rounder in a round with 32 picks? When John Dorsey says it’s not one.
According to a report from the NFL Network, the Browns GM didn’t consider the No. 17 pick a real first-rounder this year before he dealt it as part of the bounty to acquire wideout Odell Beckham Jr.
In breaking down the trade on the Move the Sticks podcast with Bucky Brooks (filling in for Daniel Jeremiah), NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein dropped the knowledge nugget.
“I had heard that the Browns considered there to be 15 players that are first round players in this year’s draft,” Zierlein explained. “That sounds about right. About 15 guys who are first round picks. Analytics is always about quantifying value so, for them, that 17th pick, they considered that a second round player, generally speaking. In the Browns’ mind, they considered they were giving up a second-round player and not a first round player. That makes even more sense right now,”
It’s an interesting assertion, one which helps understand why Dorsey was willing to give up the pick as part of the package.
