The team had accumulated a boatload of top picks the last few years. And their own pick is always top 5. The way the league works, it's impossible to stay horribly bad for long.
You keep saying this, so I had to go look things up....Let's clarify the "boatload of top picks" on the team. I've gone back to 2014 for 1st and 2nd Rnd Picks for CLE. You are correct in that they had a lot of top round selections - no doubt. But how has that worked out for them?
Year Selection Player POS Status
2014 8 (1) Justin Gilbert CB Out of the Lg
22 (1) Johnny Manziel QB Out of the Lg
35 (2) Joel Bitonio OL/G Starting LG
2015 12 (1) Danny Shelton DT Inactive (Pats)
19 (1) Cameron Erving C Starting OL (KC)
51 (2) Nate Orchard DE Out of the Lg
2016 15 (1) Corey Coleman WR Out of the Lg
32 (2) Emanuel Ogbah DE Rotational DL
2017 1 (1) Myles Garrett * DE Starting EDGE
25 (1) Jabrill Peppers S Starting SS
29 (1) David Njoku TE Starting TE
52 (2) Deshone Kizer QB Backup (GB)
2018 1 (1) Baker Mayfield * QB Starting QB
4 (1) Denzel Ward CB Starting DB
33 (2) Austin Corbett OL/C Backup OL
35 (2) Nich Chubb RB Starting RB
16 picks in the first two rounds in 5 years. Surely they must have hit on those!! Four of those picks are out of the league completely. One has been a healthy scratch for the last half of the season and will likely be cut by NE. One is a Backup in GB. Only the picks made by Dorsey (2017 and 2018) are still in play with the Browns - where 6 of the 7 are bonafide contributors. Of those that have contributed, two (aside from Mayfield) are on offense.
IMO, all of the defensive players would certainly say that Mayfield has impacted their play for the better. He has kept the offense on the field longer, allowing them to breathe/rest. Mayfield has put points on the board, thus giving the defense the opportunity to go play prevent and just worry about stopping a big play vs trying to make a big play every time they're on the field.
IMO, all of the offensive players would certainly say that Mayfield has impacted their play for the better. They know what it was like playing with Tyrod under center. Chubb wouldn't have gotten the running lanes had teams not worried about Mayfield's downfield vision and passing accuracy. Njoku was on the verge of being labelled a bust until Mayfield started getting him the ball. Had Tyrod stayed under center, or worse yet - Kizer stayed in CLE (gasp!) - neither would have had the opportunity to produce as they have this year.
So yes, Virginia, I do believe that Mayfield has transformed this club for the better. And yes, I believe his teammates would rally behind and support that sentiment.