CLEVELAND, Ohio — I love how the Browns resisted the temptation to take a quarterback at the top of the second round.

The Browns were 3-14 last season. Their roster is older. It’s expensive. A significant overhaul is in order.

It needs more than a desperation pick at QB, which would have been the case at the top of the second round.

I’m not a fan of the trade that led to the Browns passing on Travis Hunter. Nor would I have made the trade, despite the impressive haul of draft picks they received.

That said, I do understand the Browns’ approach. They truly picked the “best player available” in the first two rounds — at least in their judgment. For what it’s worth, I like their two picks on the second round.

UCLA Linebacker Carson Schwesinger went from walk-on to the top pick of the second round. Keith Birmingham, Getty Images

They need a linebacker

In the second round, they used their own selection to grab UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger. I like the profile. He’s a former walk-on who earned a scholarship. He also is a bioengineering major.

The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Schwesinger went from a special teams star to a starting linebacker in 2024. He led all FBS schools in tackles. He also averaged 7.5 solo tackles per game, also the most in the FBS.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler rated Schwesinger as the No. 2 linebacker in the draft, the No. 38 player overall. Brugler raved about Schwesinger’s relentless hustle, “a player in perpetual motion.”

I like the idea of the Browns drafting a linebacker because they need linebackers — even if Jeremiah Owuso-Koramoah recovers from his major neck injury. So far, there is no definite word when JOK will be ready to play.

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham, with his grandmother Linda Donoso (L-R), mother Kimberly Graham and father Allen Graham, holds up the Browns’ first round pick jersey after being introduced to the media at Browns’ headquarters in Berea. John Kuntz, cleveland.com

Deal becoming clearer

Now we can start to look at the trade with Jacksonville for Hunter. They dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the first round to select Michigan tackle Mason Graham.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper rated Graham the No. 3 player in the draft. Brugler had the defensive tackle at No. 4. Most draft experts put Graham in the top five picks of the draft.

Odds are he will be a good player and an immediate starter for the Browns.

Cleveland also received the No. 36 pick from Jacksonville. That became Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.

The 6-foot, 221-pound Judkins led the SEC in rushing and touchdowns in 2023 while with Mississippi. Judkins then transferred to OSU, where he shared time in the backfield with TreVeyon Henderson.

The Buckeyes were so stacked with talent, Judkins was the No. 36 pick. Then Henderson went No. 38 to New England. I probably would have preferred Henderson to Judkins, but that’s like saying you like chocolate instead of strawberry ice cream. Can’t go wrong either way.

Quinshon Judkins has scored 48 TDs in his last three college seasons. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

1 fumble in 2 years

Judkins never missed a game in college. He fumbled only once in the last two years. Brugler wrote: “He never had a run that he didn’t finish.”

That means Judkins tends to run right straight ahead and keep his legs pumping until he’s on the ground. Or hesitates briefly, makes one powerful cut and heads straight. He’s a gritty, tough-minded AFC North-style runner.

Judkins scored 17 TDs in each of his two Mississippi seasons. He had 14 for the Buckeyes, including three in the title game vs. Notre Dame. The man finds the end zone.

So far, the trade has brought Graham and Judkins to Cleveland … a pair of Big Ten players … with more to come.

The Browns still have pick No. 126 from the trade, plus Jacksonville’s 2026 first-round pick.