NFL Draft: GM John Dorsey tried to trade into 1st round but said price was too steep; glad to have Odell Beckham Jr. as his prize

BEREA -- General manager John Dorsey is stuck on 18.And holding at No. 49.The Browns' wheeling-and-dealing decision-maker made 18 trades involving picks in his previous six drafts as a GM. He tried to add to the total Thursday night in the bottom half of the first round but couldn't get into the action."You know what, there were about three guys we were looking at we thought may help us," Dorsey said just after midnight. "You know to get up to the position where they were acquired at that time, I thought the compensation was too rich to move that far."I think we're in a position now, you know maybe you exercise a degree of patience in this and just see."Dorsey wouldn't answer if Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was one of the three targets, saying he didn't think it was appropriate to list the players. None made it to Day 2."They're all gone," he said.For the first time since 2008, and eighth time overall, the Browns didn't draft in the first round.They traded No. 17 to the Giants last month as part of the blockbuster deal to acquire receiver Odell Beckham Jr."I'm very happy to have Odell Beckham as the 17th pick in the 2019 draft," Dorsey said.Their first pick is scheduled for the second round Friday night, No. 49 overall, although Dorsey has plenty of time to think about moving up and try to pull it off."You explore those options and then you see if you can get up there at the right price or you stay patient or you even kick back," said Dorsey, who's made 17 trades in less than 17 months with the Browns. "Now we can really get into the exercise of moving up and moving back, and we will actively be working the phones all day, all evening tomorrow."The Browns could use a cornerback to pair with Denzel Ward in the starting lineup, and plenty of quality ones remain, including Washington's Byron Murphy, Temple's Rock Ya-Sin and LSU's Greedy Williams.Georgia's Deandre Baker was the only corner chosen in the first round, going No. 30 to the Giants after they traded up from the second round for their third pick of the night -- one of six teams to move up through trades. Dorsey said this is a draft where teams could have 20 different rankings of the cornerbacks."But I do think there are some really talented football players gonna come off this board tomorrow and the next day," said Dorsey, who also holds No. 80 in the third round Friday and eight picks overall.Even without a pick, the Browns' presence was felt at the top of the NFL Draft.Baker Mayfield, Cleveland's No. 1 pick last year, blazed the trail for Kyler Murray, who was picked No. 1 by the Arizona Cardinals.Murray followed Mayfield as Oklahoma's starting quarterback, then as the Heisman Trophy winner and finally as the first pick.Mayfield was quick to congratulate Murray."BACK TO BACK!!!!! CONGRATS K1!!!!" Mayfield tweeted moments after the pick. "Well deserved my brotha!!!"See you in December @TheKylerMurray"The ex-Sooners are scheduled to face off Dec. 15 when the Browns travel to Arizona.The friends and soon-to-be-foes have made history.They are the first Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks from the same school to get selected No. 1 in consecutive drafts.And it's only the second time since the common draft started in 1967 the same school has produced the top pick in back-to-back drafts. USC alum and Pro Football Hall of Famers Ron Yary and O.J. Simpson were picked in 1968 and '69 by the Vikings and Bills, respectively.Mayfield (6-foot-0 5/8, 215 pounds) wasn't the first "short" quarterback to have success in the NFL. But he was the first in recent memory to go No. 1.His success as a rookie -- leading seven wins and throwing an NFL rookie-record 27 touchdown passes -- likely helped pave the way for the Cardinals to feel comfortable taking Murray (5-10 1/8, 207) to start the draft."I think Baker killed that myth a little bit last year about being too short," Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said at the scouting combine.The Giants took Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence at No. 17 -- the pick from the Browns -- after pulling a shocker at No. 6. Lawrence (6-4½, 342) was a three-year starter on a loaded Clemson line, totaling 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.The Giants were criticized after drafting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6. The selection left Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins on the board until Washington nabbed him at No. 15.The Browns won't face the Giants this season, but they will see the top three picks up close and personal.They play the 49ers and Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, the No. 2 pick, in Week 5 on Monday night in the Bay Area. They play the Jets and Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, the No. 3 pick, on Monday night in Week 2 in New Jersey.Without a Browns pick to analyze, the attention was on their opponents' additions.The AFC North rival Steelers made the first big move of the draft, trading up from No. 20 to No. 10 to take Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Pittsburgh sent Nos. 20 and 52 and a 2020 third-rounder to Denver to climb 10 spots.The Bengals were next at No. 11 and took Alabama tackle Jonah Williams.The Ravens, who traded down from No. 22, took Oklahoma's Marquise Brown at No. 25. He was the first receiver drafted.The Ravens won the AFC North last year with a Week 17 victory over the Browns. They will meet in Week 4 in Baltimore and Week 16 in Cleveland.Dorsey really liked Simmons, calling him a "phenomenal" player last week. If Dorsey hoped to trade into the bottom of the first round to take him, the Titans spoiled his plans.Tennessee grabbed Simmons at No. 19 despite the likelihood he'll miss his rookie season with a torn ACL and had a troubling incident in high school when he repeatedly punched a woman on the ground.The Browns open the season Sept. 8 at home against the Titans but won't have to deal with Simmons.Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @scottpetrak on Twitter.