At a glance: General manager John Dorsey can seemingly do no wrong in Cleveland. Fans love his off-season trades for wide receiver Odell Beckham and pass rusher Olivier Vernon. The media loves his appointment of good guy head coach Freddie Kitchens. And bookmakers love his team, ranking them fifth most-likely to win this year's Super Bowl. The question is whether the hype will still there in Week 4, Week 8 and beyond.
Each NFL off-season has a darling that captures football fans' imaginations in the non-football months. In 2018 it was the Jimmy Garoppolo lead 49ers and their late-season winning streak, while Spring 2017 was all about the development of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott heading into their second year. Now it's the time of the oft-laughed at Browns, who have added a plethora of talent following quarterback Baker Mayfield's breakout year.
It's hard to pick a better side of the ball. The offense is loaded with difference-makers; most notably Beckham, Mayfield, running backs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb, and tight end David Njoku. But with Vernon lining up opposite former first overall pick Myles Garrett on the defensive line and cornerback Denzel Ward now playing across from Greedy Williams, no team will look forward to playing the NFL most recent 0-16 team.
DRAFT PICKS (per ESPN)
2.14 Greedy Williams CB
3.16 Sione Takitaki OLB
4.17 Sheldrick Redwine S
5.17 Mack Wilson ILB
5.32 Austin Seibert PK
6.16 Drew Forbes OT
7.07 Donnie Lewis Jr. CB
ORIGINAL COVER PHOTO: Bleacher Report
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