Browns go from 0-16 to favorites in 2 years

The Browns trade last week of safety Jabrill Peppers plus picks 17 and 95 in the 2019 draft to the Giants for Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was a game-changer, not only for Browns fans but for the betting world as well.

The Browns are now favored to win the AFC North at 7-5 odds, followed by the Steelers at 8-5, the Ravens at 16-1 and the Bengals at 30-1, according to actionnetwork.com. The term means someone betting $50 on the Browns would win $70 if they win the division.

“What we’ve done is we we’ve added some talent.” Browns general manager John Dorsey said cautiously.

“Now, the chemistry part has to take over with it. Teams win in the fall. They don’t win in March, and that is good teams.”

Of course, Dorsey had to give up something to get a player as skilled as Beckham, so let’s take a look at players taken with the 17th and 95th pick in the last five NFL drafts to gauge what the Browns might be sacrificing in the draft next month:

2014

PICK 17 >> Inside linebacker C.J. Mosely, Ravens: Mosely on March 15 signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Jets after five seasons with the Ravens. He made the Pro Bowl three times and started all 77 games he played with Baltimore. PICK 95 >> Offensive lineman Michael Schofield, Broncos: Schofield did not play as a rookie, but he started 13 games regular season games at right tackle in 2015 and throughout the Broncos Super Bowl championship season that year. He started 16 games in 2016.

Schofield was waived by Denver in final cuts on Sept. 2, 2017. He was claimed by the Los Angeles Chargers. He started 16 games at right guard last season and on March 14 signed a two-year contract extension with the Chargers.

2015

PICK 17 >> Defensive end Arik Armstead, 49ers: Amstead started only 11 of 48 games his first three seasons, but he started all 16 in 2018. He had three sacks and 48 tackles. PICK 95 >> Running back Matt Jones, Redskins: Jones played two years for the Redskins, totaling 964 yards on 144 carries. He was waived and picked up by the Colts on Sept. 3, 2017. He played five games with the Colts and gained 14 yards in five carries. He spent time with the Eagles in 2018 but was cut after training camp.

2016

PICK 17 >> Defensive back Keanu Neal, Falcons: Neal started 30 games his first two seasons. He suffered a knee injury in the Falcons 2018 opener and missed the rest of the season. In January the Falcons exercised their fifth-year option on Neal. He had one interception and 228 tackles his first two seasons. PICK 95 >> Center Graham Glasgow, Lions: Glasgow has started 43 straight games for the Lions. He has played both guard spots and center.

2017

PICK 17 >> Defensive end Jonathan Allen, Redskins: Allen suffered a foot injury in the fifth game as a rookie and missed the final 11 games on injured reserve. He started all 16 games in 2018 and had eight sacks and 15 quarterback hits to go with 61 tackles. PICK 95 >> Free safety Delano Hill, Seahawks: Hill played in 28 games over his first two seasons in Seattle but started only twice. Both starts were in 2018. He had zero tackles as a rookie and 24 last year.

2018

PICK 17 >> Strong safety Derwin James, Chargers: James started all 16 games as a rookie. He made 105 tackles, had 3.5 sacks and intercepted three passes. One of those picks was of a pass thrown by quarterback Baker Mayfield in a game the Browns lost to the Chargers, 38-14. PICK 95 >> Cornerback Tarvarious Moore, 49ers: Moore played in 16 games with two starts as a rookie. He forced a fumble and made 23 tackles.

Former Browns Director of Football Operations Sashi Brown selected Jabrill Peppers with the 25th pick of the 2017 draft. Peppers missed three games with injuries as a rookie. He started all 29 games in which he played and totaled 134 tackles.