Browns Owner Jimmy Haslam on Draft: 'We Got Tremendous Value'

Pundits and draftniks are split on grades for the Cleveland Browns in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Jimmy Haslam is not. The Browns' owner wholeheartedly approves of the team's 14-player haul.

"We got a lot of players," Haslam said today, according to ESPN.com. "Equally as important, we've positioned ourselves well for the next two drafts."

Mel Kiper and other experts have harrumphed the team's tradedowns from No. 2 to No. 8 and then from No. 8 to No. 15, but Haslam fully supports both trades.

"We had been talking about various opportunities since the end of the season," Haslam said.

The team's owner mentioned the club's discussion the day after the season ended about the need at quarterback. The Browns grabbed Cody Kessler in the third round as one potential option.

The club also acquired first and second round picks in 2017 in case the USC product and newly acquired Robert Griffin III fail to impress.

"You need to get value," said Haslam. "We got tremendous value and now the key thing is to use that value."

The Browns did receive a wealth of extra picks and selected several solid players late in the draft. However, as Haslam fully admitted, it's far to early to grade the Browns' draft.

"Time will tell how good our draft is," Haslam said. "You guys have seen a lot of drafts. Some are ranked high and don't end up so well, and vice versa."