After Week 17 was all said and done, we knew that the Cleveland Browns would have the 4th overall pick in the draft. We also knew that their second draft pick would be anywhere between the 21st and 32nd picks in the draft, depending on how soon the Atlanta Falcons would be eliminated in the playoffs. In a best-case scenario, they would be eliminated from the playoffs in the wildcard round. That's exactly what happened.
The "big trade" that the Falcons were praised for -- one that was supposed to "get them over the hump" for a chance at finally making the Super Bowl -- failed to net their offense a single point against the Giants defense. Shut. Out. Tell me who won that trade in the long run? Because Atlanta was eliminated in round one, the Browns were guaranteed to have either pick No. 22 and No. 23; the Bengals had already claimed a higher spot than Cincinnati because they lost and had a worse record, while the Lions had claimed a later spot than Atlanta by virtue of having a tougher strength of schedule and having lost to the Saints.
The shocker came when Pittsburgh (who had two more wins than Atlanta) lost to the 8-8 Broncos. Browns fans savored that victory all day, and probably will for the rest of this postseason. The loss by Pittsburgh made the Bengals No. 21, the Browns No. 22, the Lions No. 23, and the Steelers No. 24.
Now? We wait. It'll be several fun months of speculation as to who the Browns will pick, or if a trade will be made for a quarterback. Let the offseason begin.