Lake County Sentinel
2026 Cleveland Browns Draft Recap
Opinion by Joey Schneider
(Cleveland, OH) -
Round 1, Pick 9- Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Spencer Fano was one of the top two rated tackles in the draft in 2026, along with Miami's Francis Mauigoa. Both were right tackles, but Fano started his NCAA career at left tackle and moved the right so teammate Caleb Lomu could play left tackle. Lomu was also drafted in the first round on Thursday's first round. Fano is 6'6 315 lbs, and has already been told by general manager Andrew Berry he will start at left tackle for the Browns this season. Last year at Utah, Fano gave up zero sacks, zero, QB hits, only 5 QB pressures, and was ranked 5th in run block grade of all OT in college. This pick was a no-brainer for the Browns who needed a left tackle after Carnell Tate was off the board, selected by the Titans at pick 4. Fano was mocked to the Browns in my first mock draft and Tommy Shirer's last mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 24- KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Concepcion, another player who was mocked by myself in my first mock draft and Tommy Shirer in his last, is a do everything receiver who excels at yards after the catch with nearly half of his 919 yards last season. He transferred to Texas A&M after spending his first two years and North Carolina State. While most think Concepcion is on the small side, he measured at just shy of 6'0 and 200 lbs. In his three years in college racked up 25 receiving touchdowns. He was also widely considered the best punt returner in the NCAA. He averaged 18.3 yards per return and two touchdowns last year. Concepcion earned awards such as 2025 1st team All American and the Paul Hornung award for the most versatile player in the nation.
Round 2, Pick 39- Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
The Browns decided to double down on revamping their wide receiver room by taking the 6'4 220 lbs Denzel Boston in round 2. Where Concepcion will create space with speed and can also line up in the slot, Boston will be on the outside, where his smooth route running and huge catch radius could cause match up issues for opponents. Boston spent all four years at Washington and waited until his junior and senior years to show why he is an NFL ready receiver. He had 1781 yards and 20 touchdowns in his last two season with the Huskies.
Round 2, Pick 58- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Cleveland could let such value fall and traded back into the second round to draft McNeil-Warren, the 6'3, 203 lbs safety from the University of Toledo. He has that hybrid style of play that most NFL teams like. He is a big safety racking up five interceptions and 14 pass deflections. He played all four years for Toledo, but didn't truly see the field until his sophomore season. He has ball hawking abilities, as well as totaling 214 tackles. Where he shines the most is his knack for forcing fumbles. He has 9 forced fumbles over his career. His biggest concern with some teams was aggressiveness on the run, and missing some tackles. Something that could be cleaned up by an NFL coaching staff. This could very well be the steal of the NFL draft as time goes on.
Round 3, Pick 86- Austin Barber, OT, Florida
Again the Browns booster their offensive line by taking left tackle Austin Barber. The 6'6, 320 lbs tackle may have been a reach at this pick, but that depends on what the Browns plan to do with him. When Barber gets a hold of a defender he drives them into the ground. He has great foot movement and excels in getting to the next level on blocks, but did struggle on some of the faster defensive lineman. If he is to sit and learn for a season or two, maybe he will be the future right tackle. Another option is moving him to guard and letting his speed and ability to block downfield create holes for Quinshon Judkins.
Round 5, Pick 146- Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
Center depth was another area addressed by taking the undersized Brailsford from Alabama. At 6'2, 290 lbs he is on the smaller side for an offensive lineman, but plays much bigger and is able to move big defensive lineman with his aggressiveness and technique. In 2025 he allowed only one sack and two QB hits.
Round 5, Pick 149- Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama
Two Alabama player back to back for the Browns in the fifth round. Jefferson, no relation to the other Justin Jefferson in the NFL was a solid middle linebacker for Alabama. Over his three seasons with the Crimson Tide he amassed 149 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He also is reliable in the coverage game with six passes defended, one interception, and three forced fumbles
Round 5, Pick 170- Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
Here was the tight end help the Browns needed. Royer transferred to Cincinnati after three years at Ohio State. He is a big body tight end standing 6'5 and 250 lbs. He doesn't have great speed and isn't known as a great blocking tight end. What he does excel in is his ability to get open in short to medium routes and fights for every extra yard. In two seasons with the Bearcats he had 937 yards and seven touchdowns.
Round 6, Pick 182- Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
Here seems like a pick that the Browns took out a flier on a freak athlete who tested at a 99 in the athleticism portion of the NFL combine. He is 6'6, 230 lbs, ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and dominated every obstacle they gave him. While he is a dual threat QB he struggles in giving up interceptions. In his last two seasons he threw for 5,868 yards and 34 touchdowns, but also threw 20 interceptions. In his two seasons at Boise State prior to transferring to Arkansas he threw another 15 interceptions to 25 touchdowns. He has every tool to be an athlete, but would be a major project at quarterback.
Round 7, Pick 248- Carsen Ryan, TE, BYU
Ryan started his college journey at UCLA for his first two years, until transferring to Utah for his junior year, before once again transferring to BYU for his senior year. In his four years he played in 43 games and totaled 1,020 yards receiving on 74 catches and seven touchdowns.
The national consensus is that the Cleveland Browns had one of, if not the best draft in 2026, filling holes, creating depth as positions of need, and getting the best players available, while also making great trades up and down to maximize their return.
POSTED 04/26/2026 at 14:52
