NFL draft: Browns got huge value compared to consensus big board

For the Cleveland Browns, with their expensive roster and lack of top draft picks, winning on the field is all that matters. It doesn’t matter if NFL free agency saw media give the team good reviews or that this year’s NFL draft was graded well, with their sixth-round selection being lauded. If the Browns don’t win this year, many things will likely change.

For now, all we have is the analysis on paper. Games won’t be played for months, offseason activities won’t take place for a few weeks and the playoffs (the real goal) won’t be until the calendar year of 2024.

Until then, we analyze what we can.

The NFL draft has become a year-long business with analysts growing every year. One very interesting aspect has been the creation of the “consensus big board.” Putting together data from over 70 respected analysts, the goal of the consensus board is to get the best estimate possible about how a player ranks with a wide variety of data points put together.

When comparing teams' actual selections versus that big board, we see that Cleveland ranked third along with the two Pennsylvania teams:

Overly simplified, the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Browns picks agreed with what draft analysts, as a whole, believe were quality selections.

A quick look at the consensus big board shows us where they ranked Cleveland’s seven selections:

• Cedric Tillman - #62
• Siaki Ika - #73
• Dawand Jones - #40
• Isaiah McGuire - #103
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson - #167
• Cameron Mitchell - #163
• Luke Wypler - #70

Unsurprising, the two Ohio State Buckeyes were huge values compared to the board. Only two picks, DTR and Mitchell were drafted higher than their consensus value.

Again, the only thing that will matter is how they perform on the field but the Browns 2023 NFL draft lined up very well with what a large swatch of draft analysts believe were quality prospects.