Rumors confirmed, Cleveland Browns slide back from No. 6 overall pick to No. 9 overall pick in a first-round trade back with the Kansas City Chiefs.
After months of speculation about the Cleveland Browns considering a blockbuster trade back from the No. 6 overall pick, executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry did just that on the opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Browns sent pick No. 6 to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for picks No. 9, 74 and 141. It's a move that positions the franchise to still come away with two players in the first round this year, while also adding two additional picks to their stockpile of nine that they entered the night with.
Some of the draft's top prospects like Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles remained on the board when Cleveland pulled off the deal. Those names were enticing enough to attract the Chiefs to make a small move up the board.
The Browns entered the weekend with two glaring holes to fill at offensive tackle and at the wide receiver position. Trading back positions Berry to potentially address each of those voids with their newly revamped collection of picks.
That stockpile creates even more flexibility for Berry, who also holds the No. 24 pick in the first round. Beyond Thursday night, the Browns now hold nine additional picks across the entire weekend.
That haul of selections now includes pick 39 in the second round, pick 70 and 74 in the third round, pick 107 in the fourth round, three fifth round selections at 146, 148 and 149, pick 206 in the sixth round and pick 248 in the seventh round.
With such a lofty stockpile of picks, Berry could has plenty of ammunition to potentially move up in the draft, potentially from 24 overall.
Prior to the draft, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Browns were one team that had made preliminary calls on trading back up into the first round before the end of the night. Perhaps the extra stockpile of picks could help them pull off such a move before the night is out.
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