The Browns’ Biggest Need Wasn’t a Player or Players. It Was Hope.

The Browns’ Biggest Need Wasn’t a Player — or Players. It Was Hope.

All offseason, I’ve believed that the most important acquisition the Browns could make wasn't a player — it was an emotion. Some blend of hope, excitement, and optimism.

As someone in their late 20s, my entire life of Browns football has mostly been defined by pain and suffering — shoutout to Baker Mayfield for giving us a brief break from that.

But the Deshaun Watson debacle? It took us to a new low. Lower, in my opinion, than the 1-31 era. Because before Watson, we had hope. We were really, really good. Not great, but good enough that being a real playoff contender each year felt possible. Yes, Baker had a ceiling — but in a conference with Mahomes and Allen, anyone outside of them is already facing long odds to reach the Super Bowl.

The offseason up to the draft hadn’t done much to restore positive energy. We made some fine moves like bringing back Flacco (a year too late), bringing in Kenny Pickett (who I actually think can be pretty good), and we kept Myles Garrett — but even this was an ugly, drawn-out process.

So I was banking on the draft to inject some real energy into the franchise. We held the No. 2 overall pick — a rare chance to truly change the narrative.

That’s why I was all-in on Travis Hunter. Whether he pans out or not, a generational two-way prospect like him brings the kind of energy this franchise desperately needs. The Shohei Ohtani of the NFL? In Cleveland? It sounds crazy — but that’s exactly why it would’ve been perfect. That’s the kind of excitement of what this team needed more than the results it would bring itself.

However, as we all know, we did not go in this direction.

I was actually initially very excited when we traded back from No. 2 to No. 5. We got an absolute haul. But when the pick of DT Mason Graham was announced, disappointment started to settle in — something that I am still feeling in the hours leading up to Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

I was not disappointed necessarily about Graham. He could be great and anchor our D-line for a decade. It is because our biggest issues are in the intangibles. The energy, the culture, the vibes. Something that Jaguars GM James Gladstone, talks about non-stop and is likely the reason he made the trade for Hunter — even though it doesn’t make sense “on paper.” Well guess what, you do not win in this league on paper.

You win with momentum. With belief. With swagger. You win when your organization and fan base feels like something special is happening.

Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong. Maybe the front office nails the picks in the rest of this draft, next year, and they build this team successfully.

But right now, it feels like the Browns once again failed to address their biggest need:

Hope.

Let’s hope that changes tonight with picks No. 33, No. 36, and two more chances to shift the vibe.