We’ve heard it, repeatedly. You’ve read it, repeatedly, probably going back to the NFL draft combine. Mel Kiper predicts it. So does Todd McShay. And Dane Brugler. Indeed, there is a certain elegance to a slide down on the NFL draft board for the Cleveland Browns, a move that would enable them to add multiple players at positions of need–which exist pretty much everywhere along the offensive roster–without needing to stretch at No. 6.
The trade that has been most frequently talked about among NFL draft gurus is the one that sees the Browns move down from No. 6 to No. 12, swapping with the Cowboys. In one scenario, the Browns get both of the Cowboys first-round picks (No. 12 and 20) while adding their second-round pick, at No. 39. In another scenario, the Cowboys keep No. 20 and send the Browns their third-round pick (No. 92 overall) and a second-rounder in 2027.
Browns GM Andrew Berry is not new to the NFL draft projection game, and it turns out that he, too, is well aware of the chatter that is out there about the proposed trade. He’s just not so sure you should buy it.
Browns Moved Back in the 2025 NFL Draft
Berry, who has nine picks in this draft, addressed the possibility about trading down, which is the same strategy the team took in 2025, when they had the No. 2 overall pick. The Browns moved back to No. 5, added a second-rounder and a 2026 first-rounder, a major haul for such a modest drop.
But leading into the draft, Berry pointed out, media reports suggested the Browns were not weighing a draft-day drop.
“I love how everybody last year thought we weren’t trading down and everybody this year assumes we are,” Berry told reporters. “You know, I’d say this, every year is unique because the players change, your pick location changes, demand, you know, may change. So, I’d say the general answer to your question is yes, the dynamics are different. But even if were picking two again this year, I’d give you the same answer.”
Seeking to ‘Maximize’ No. 6 Pick
Again, Berry is not clear about what the Browns are intending to do with their No. 6 pick, other than to say the goal is to “maximize” it. Certainly, turning the pick into No. 12 and No. 20 would widely be seen as doing more to maximize its value than to simply take a player at that spot.
But there’s no telling how far Dallas would go to move up, and whether the Cowboys might cool on the idea altogether.
Berry addressed that notion: “I’d go back to what I’ve said in the past, our mindset going into the draft, with our most valuable asset, isn’t about, ‘Hey, just trade it away.’ It’s maximizing the asset. And that can, at different times, take different forms. It can be selecting a player, it could be trading it for a veteran, it could be trading down, it could be trading up.
“We will continue to work through all those possibilities up until, really, we get on the clock on Thursday night. But I’d say, like, we’re working through a number of different scenarios at this point.”
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