The Patriots are wheeling and dealing in the days leading up to the 2016 NFL season and just landed themselves a former first-round pick of the Browns.

The Patriots acquired Barkevious Mingo from Cleveland for a 2017 fifth-round pick.


Mingo was a first-round pick for the Browns in 2013, taken sixth overall in what now looks like a disastrous draft class. Of the top-10 selections, two players have gotten contract extensions (Lane Johnson and Eric Fisher), one player made a Pro Bowl (Ziggy Ansah), two players have been suspended (Johnson and Dion Jordan) and two players who have been traded (Jonathan Cooper, Mingo).

One man's trash is another man's treasure though.

As ESPN Adam Schefter noted, Mingo was drafted by Mike Lombardi, who was the Cleveland general manager in 2013. Lombardi is a close friend with Pats coach Bill Belichick and recently worked with the team.

Mingo isn't just part of a historically bad draft class -- the second-best player in the top 10 is Rams wideout Tavon Austin -- he's also part of a historically terrible run in drafting by the Browns.

The jury is still out on Cameron Erving and Danny Shelton, but it takes some magical powers to mess up draft picks that badly.

Everyone will point out Bill Belichick is a genius for acquiring another first-round pick and the Browns wouldn't get the same treatment if they were acquiring Mingo from New England. That's not fair, but it's also because of the Browns past.

Not only do the Browns not draft well, they don't develop players at all. New England is the opposite, which is why there's an assumed amount of potential for Mingo in New England, where he should help shore up the pass rush for the Patriots.