Joel Bitonio, Christian Kirksey, Duke Johnson Jr. and Charlie Hughlett are the only picks on the roster from before 2015 and not a single first-round pick prior to 2017 remains, but general manager John Dorsey is off to a strong start with his first class in 2018.
Only two teams in NFL history have had the offensive and defensive rookies of the year in the same season – the New Orleans Saints last year and Detroit Lions in 1967, but Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward are on pace to make the Browns the third.
The 2018 first-round picks are at the foundation of the Browns’ best start to a season since they started 3-2 in 2014.
Mayfield and Ward were nominated for ‘Rookie of the Week’ honors for the second time on Tuesday and have already won it – Ward in Week 1 and Mayfield in Week 3. While the award is a result of fan voting, being nominated twice just five weeks into the season speaks volumes of their impact.
Second-round and No. 35 overall pick Nick Chubb has also won ‘Rookie of the Week’ honors after he ran for 105 yards on three carries including touchdown runs of 63 and 41 yards at Oakland.
The Browns had never had three players win the weekly award in the same season and the only time they had two win it came in 2002 – Andre Davis and William Green.
Mayfield has revived the offense in just 10-plus quarters on the field while Ward is already establishing himself as a premier player at corner.
Mayfield has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 838 yards with three touchdowns, three interceptions and a rating of 81.5. The No. 1 overall pick rallied the Browns from a 14-0 deficit in the Week 3 in a 21-17 victory over the Jets to supplant veteran Tyrod Taylor as the starting QB.
Mayfield’s skill and charisma has already won over the locker room and several players credit those intangible attributes for the team coming to life.
Ward has started all five games and totaled a combined 24 tackles – 16 solo, six pass break-ups, three interceptions, one tackle for loss, forced fumble, fumble recovery and a blocked field goal. The interceptions came against division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore and the blocked field goal preserved a halftime lead against the Ravens.
Chubb is averaging 11.4 yards per carry, thanks in part to the long TD runs. He has 148 yards on 13 attempts in a very limited role that head coach Hue Jackson has pledged to expand.
Fourth-round pick Antonio Callaway has had his growing pains with 13 catches for 177 yards, but he is averaging a team-best 13.6 yards per reception. While Callaway has battled a case of the drops, his 47-yard touchdown catch at New Orleans in the closing minutes gave the Browns a chance to win and he added a 59-yard catch and run to set up another score at Oakland.
Linebacker Genard Avery, a fifth-round pick, has also provided a punch defensively. Avery has racked up 11 tackles – eight solo, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss, eight quarterback hits, a pass break-up and two forced fumbles.
It's still very early in the season but the most important development for the Browns is that they are finally reaping the benefits of a draft class when it matters most – on game days.