The Cleveland Browns emerged as front-runners to trade for Trent Williams ahead of the start of Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. However, the Browns landed their top target in Jedrick Wills with the 10th overall pick.
According to Mary Kat Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Redskins’ disgruntled left tackle were part of the Browns’ contingency plan, as Cleveland feared one of their top-three choices at offensive tackle may not be available.
The Browns weren’t sweating out the first round because they had contingency plans for the worst-case scenario of all four tackles — especially their top three — being gone. One of those was trading for Redskins left tackle Trent Williams, but they weren’t in hot pursuit of him. They explored it and had it in their back pocket, but were fairly confident it wouldn’t get to that point.
The Browns were happy how the draft played out. Andrew Thomas, who was drafted by the New York Giants fourth overall, was the lone offensive tackle taken before the Browns were on the clock. Wills was at the top of the Browns’ draft board, so they ultimately got their man.
“We were going to wait to see what happened there before we really pursued any other avenue,’’ Browns Chiefs Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta said.
Cleveland preferred drafting a tackle, as they did not want to give up draft compensation for Williams and then pay him $15 million per year on a new deal.
