The Cleveland Browns swapped first-round picks with the Minnesota Vikings, improving one spot while handing the Vikings a fifth-round pick, grabbing Oklahoma State cornerstone Justin Gilbert at No. 8 overall.
Chris Pokorny with Dawgs by Nature writes:
On the surface, I really don't know why you trade up one spot to get him...were we really worried about somebody else getting Gilbert? Going defense first will not make some fans happy, but we knew that cornerback was a real possibility in the first round for Cleveland, just not this early.
Cleveland does a nice job solidifying their cornerback position, putting Gilbert and Joe Haden together against Cincinnati's wide receivers. However, Gilbert, the first cornerback selected in the 2014 NFL draft, was viewed as the third-best corner behind Darqueze Dennard and Kyle Fuller, according to ESPN.
As a Bengals fan, this makes our intra-divisional games interesting. A.J. Green and Joe Haden remains one match that transforms battles into all-out warfare.
The Browns were projected to select Johnny Manziel, but the poor kid just watches. Cleveland will pick again at No. 26.