There is perhaps no more tenuous position in professional sports than being general manager of the Cleveland Browns. Job security for the coaching and player management staff in Cleveland has resembled a temp agency for the last 16 years.

The latest man perilously perched atop the org chart is Ray Farmer, and his first year didn’t exactly go well. In his first draft he traded out of a chance to get an impact wideout like Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans and instead traded back to take a cornerback, Justin Gilbert, who couldn’t beat out an undrafted free agent for playing time…and Gilbert was the better of his first-round picks. Johnny Manziel. Enough said.

On top of that, Farmer was busted for sending illegal text messages. The NFL suspended him for four games in the upcoming season and fined him $250,000. To say Farmer was in dire need of a redemptive moment is a wild understatement.

Farmer and his staff sowed their redemption in Chicago on Thursday and Friday in the 2015 NFL Draft. Cleveland is one of the unquestioned winners of the first three rounds of the draft.

The Browns added five players in those three rounds, and all five of them could very well start this fall. Cleveland’s biggest weakness on defense was run defense. Enter Danny Shelton, a run-stuffing behemoth with freaky range for a 330+ pound mountain of a man. He’s an immediate upgrade at the nose tackle position. Don’t worry about him not being a great pass rusher; that’s not what the Browns are going to ask him to do, though he did get more sacks in 2014 (9.5) than any other defensive tackle in this draft. Two other picks from Friday will take care of the pass rush up front.

Nate Orchard finished second in the nation in sacks last fall for Utah. Among his 18.5 bags were the only two all season allowed by Stanford’s Andrus Peat, the 13^th overall pick. He’s a high-effort, versatile edge defender who can play the run on the way to the quarterback and even drop in coverage better than most edge guys. He’s not an overwhelming athlete like Barkevious Mingo, but Keke hasn’t exactly panned out as a sack master despite being ridiculously athletic. Maybe Orchard’s more lunchpail style and physicality will be more effective. He’s certainly a strong value at No. 51 overall, a pick acquired by trading back with the Houston Texans.

Then there’s Xavier Cooper, a high-energy interior pass rusher from Washington State. Farmer traded up to the 96^th overall pick to secure his services, using the extra two picks snagged from the deal with Houston as fallback cushion while dealing away Cleveland’s picks in the fifth and seventh. Essentially Farmer parlayed pick 111 into pick 96, and he used it on a disruptive agitator who can play either end or tackle. Cooper is a role player as an interior rush specialist, but the Browns had a dire need for that very role.

Cleveland tackled offense too. For once the Browns didn’t use an acquired first-round pick on a quarterback, instead opting for Florida State offensive lineman Cameron Erving. A tackle for most of his collegiate career, Erving’s stock soared when he moved to center for the Seminoles’ final four games. Yet in Cleveland he’s likely to play right guard, and that might be his best pro position. His ability in the pivot provides nice insurance in case star center Alex Mack either opts out after 2015 or never gets back to his old self following his broken leg last year.

While it might seem superfluous to take another running back after a successful rookie tandem in Terrence West and Isaiah Crowell in 2014, tabbing Miami’s Duke Johnson with the 77^th pick is a coup. Johnson is a different kind of back from the 2014 rookies. He’s a more decisive version of Reggie Bush, a home run hitter who brings tremendous value on screens and wheel routes in addition to his ability to reliably gain positive yards outside the tackles. He’s a great “lightning” back to the inside thunder of his new teammates. And behind Cleveland’s strong offensive line, the Browns should be one of the best rushing offenses in the league. It’s a fantastic pick.

It is important to remember winning in April and May doesn’t always translate to September thru December. For long-suffering Browns fans, and there are no other kind, here’s hoping the great vibes from Chicago wind up meaning something when the winning really counts.