Dennis Leary as the Browns head coach, left, and Kevin Costner as the GM, right.
  • Dennis Leary as the Browns head coach, left, and Kevin Costner as the GM, right.

The trailer for the Browns-focused movie “Draft Day” popped up online yesterday and it looks like quite a doozy. It blends real footage with fictional characters and centers around the the drama of picking first in the NFL draft. Kevin Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr, the general manager of the Browns facing all the pressure of the franchise-changing pick. In the original script, the team was to be the Buffalo Bills, but the movie studio got more incentives to film in Ohio and the Browns were a logical substitution.

The NFL and ESPN signed off on the movie, so there’s actual game and draft footage in “Draft Day,” and a little acting by broadcasters Jon Gruden and Chris Berman. But approval from the image-conscious league and network means the movie will play it safe with storylines and language (see this New York Times story the NFL’s anger of the league’s portrayal on ESPN’s Playmakers and the networks subsequent dropping of the show).

In “Draft Day,” there’s a very brief shot of Costner/Weaver watching the 2011 Ohio State-Wisconsin game — where then-senior quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns — but the story isn’t centered around why the Browns took Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden instead of Wilson in that draft (that would be an intense movie). The prospects in this movie are fake: ESPN football announcer Jon Gruden says “Bo Callahan, he’s the sure-fire, slam dunk, number one pick.”

The movie is scheduled for April. Take a look at the trailer here:

This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2013.

Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.

4 replies on “Kevin Costner as the Browns GM: Watch The Trailer For ‘Draft Day’”

  1. Just like a solid free agent being available to the highest bidder, the “naming rights” (featured team) for the flick went to the NFL city with the best incentive-laden deal.

  3. I remember a friend that named our fantasy league after Weeden because he thought it was the best pick in the entire draft. He doesn’t think that anymore. btw, anyone remember how much terry pluto thought the Weeden pick was “awesome”?

  4. They should make a true to life film about the crippling depression that is being a Browns fan. Actually, they probably shouldn’t. People will leave the theater and drown themselves to stop the pain.

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