Defending the Draft: Cleveland Browns
Previous Season Recap
The year is 1999, the Browns are in the beginning stages of a rebuild and stumble their way to a last place finish in the division.
Flash forward 25 years...
The year is 2025, the Browns are in the beginning stages of a rebuild and stumble their way to a last place finish in the division.
The more time goes by, the more things stay the same for Browns fans.
The Browns have ended up in last place in the division 64% of the time since returning to the NFL in '99.
For better or worse, hope springs eternal in Cleveland and after one of the better draft classes in the new era we are optimistic about the future for the first time in years.
The good news is the Browns have a playoff caliber defense led by reigning DPotY and single-season sack record holder Myles Garrett.
The bad news is it looks like they are playing a completely different sport in the passing game.
Building up the roster to ease the eventual FQB into the league seems to be the main focus over wins and last year was a quality draft for the Browns.
Last year's draft class included the DRotY in Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin Jr led the team in receiving and was named a pro bowl alternate, Quinshon Judkins was also named a pro bowl alternate, Mason Graham was second on the team in pressures to only Myles Garrett, and finished 3 pressures behind James Pearce Jr for third most pressures by a rookie.
The 2025 browns draft class might have saved GM Andrew Berry's job, but he will have to keep the momentum moving forward to remain in the role.
There is real pressure, not necessarily to win, but to develop talent and plug holes.
Free Agency Recap
The biggest loss on the roster was LBer Devin Bush, who finally started playing up to his top of the draft billing last year.
The defense added former all-pro Quincy Williams to replace him, it should be near a wash.
The Browns turned over at least 4/5ths of their offensive line (still hoping Joel Bitonio comes back for one more year).
But that unit never played together.
Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones as the starting OT duo have played in 20% of eligible games from 2023 - 2025.
Wyatt Teller was benched down the stretch and has never recovered from a lower leg injury two years ago.
Ethan Pocic tore his achilles in December.
The Browns have been on the extreme end of league average for total amount of offensive line starters each of the past two years.
We may have lost what we had, but what we had wasn't worth keeping.
The Browns have done most of the heavy lifting to patch the line, they brought in 3 new linemen ahead of the draft in Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, and Tytus Howard.
Collectively they have played in over 250 NFL games.
However none of them play the most important position on the line LT and the Browns left FA with a giant hole on the roster.
Team Needs
As with most teams picking in the top 10 for the 2nd year in a row, the Browns have a laundry list of needs.
The most pressing is also the hardest, most consequential, and most expensive to fill...Quarterback.
The snake-bit and star-crossed pursuit of the franchise quarterback in Cleveland is a thing of legend at this point. The 'starting QBs' jersey might visualize the situation but it doesn't accurately describe the experience.
I have seen things other fans couldn't dream of — Brandon Weeden getting sacked by the American flag, Johnny Manziel sporting a fake mustache and wig to party in Vegas, a homeless person acting as draft consultant to our owner, a rookie Deshaun Kizer going 0 - 16, and of course, the worst trade in NFL history. All of those memories will eventually be erased, like tears in the rain.
But I doubt this is that year. As usual the Browns head into the season with way more questions than answers at the most important position in sport.
Aside from FQB, the most pressing needs headed into the draft were LT, WR (any of X, Z, or Y), Swing backup Tackle, Safety (FS or SS), Nickel, Center, 2nd TE, and Wil (to replace JOK).
Draft
Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
(pick 9 | age 21.5 | 6'5 313 | 4.91 40 | 32" 7/8ths arms)
A freshman all-American at LT, sophomore 2nd team all-American at RT, and junior 1st-team all-American at RT.
A true blueblood with multiple members of his family having played in the league. Spencer came into the process as the #1 OT and came out the other end as the top tackle selected.
The draft world focused on his arm length, which was exacerbated by Will Campbell's 14 pressure performance in the Super Bowl.
However, recovery athleticism can be at least as important as arm length and Spencer has that in full.
Spencer pulled off a standing backflip into the pool after being drafted, he is an absolute movement skill freak for his size.
DEs in the NFL are in my opinion the best athletes in the world, you will get beat as an OT, but having the athletic ability to get back into the play and reposition yourself after getting beat is what makes most of the top OTs in pass pro in the league dominate.
I wish Spencer's arms were longer, but I'm not overly concerned.
There is no single data point predictor of success in the league. Trent Williams has 34" arms and has dominated the league for years.
Spencer is the best athlete in space in this tackle class and despite a near 10 RAS from Freeling it wasn't close.
He is an absolute menace on the second level cleaning up LBers and fitting DBs attempting to backdoor him consistently.
If Fano doesn't work out at LT (which would be due to his anchor), I see him as a very very high level center prospect. My only question is if he can call out line adjustments on the fly. His movement skills are truly special.
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
(pick 24 | age 21.6 | 5'11 5/8ths 196 | Did not test at combine or pro day)
Wide receivers can be elite in 3 areas. Before the catch, at the catch point, and after the catch. KC is elite at 2 of them, and highly concerning in the other.
KC is electric before the catch, in his release package, in his route tempo, and in his separation out of breaks. He's the best at it in this class imo (Tyson a close 2nd). As with most guys with his pre-catch skillset he does freewheel a bit through the route, his QB will have to adjust to where he is rather than where he should be at times.
He didn't do any testing at the combine or pro day, but his long speed looks to be below his agility / quickness. He's capable of threatening the back third on a seam but it isn't his bread and butter.
KC is also dynamic after the catch, his initial burst jumps off the screen and disorients defenders who often take incorrect angles in initial pursuit. He doesn't break tackles but he does break ankles, KC's best asset is his short area burst and quickness he uses both to rack up yac.
KC did fall to pick 24, though, and the main reason is his ability at the catch point. KC had a 10% drop rate this past year. It doesn't matter how electric you are if you can't catch so he will have to improve this in the league.
There is reason for optimism as the A&M QB situation had KC adjusting to off center passes regularly. This issue will likely be the difference between KC becoming a #1 and being a frustrating 2nd option in a receiving corps.
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
(pick 39 | age 22.4 | 6'3 5/8ths 212 | 37 1/2 vert | 6.8 3 cone)
Denzel Boston is a big receiver — 93rd percentile all time for height and 83rd for weight.
A contested catch specialist and high-end redzone target with 14 redzone TDs in the past two years, Boston is big enough to carve out space but he also has strong hands at the catch point to secure receptions in tight windows. Which is evident by his career 2.45% drop rate.
Again, WRs can be elite in 3 phases and Boston fills the missing phase from KC Concepcion's profile by dominating at the catch point.
There's a clear role for both of them next year even if who will throw the passes is much less clear.
The biggest concern with Boston is his ability to stretch defenses vertically and create separation underneath. He ducked the 40 at both the combine and his pro day, but he did run the 3 cone and impressed timing at a 6.8 which is the 89th percentile all-time.
Historically, the big WRs who couldn't carry enough separation to impact NFL games run much slower 3 cone drills than that. (Laquon Treadwell 7.0, N'Keal Harry 7.05, Treylon Burks 7.28).
Boston is not a plodder even if he does profile to a move the chains possession receiver, his agility is more than adequate.
The Browns continue to get pieces that fit holes on their roster and complement each other, this pick might be the biggest example of which.
Andrew Berry had a plan and executed it impressively, just need to get someone to consistently throw these guys the ball.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Safety, Toledo
(pick 58 | age 22.3 | 6'3 1/2 213 | 4.52 40 | 1.58 10 yard split)
The 2026 draft was a bit of a referendum on Safety value (and TE value but that comes later in the writeup).
Caleb Downs is by all accounts the best Safety prospect since Eric Berry and fell out of the top 10 entirely.
The 2 high shell era of the league continues to redefine the NFL landscape, it's clear the NFL sees safeties as an insurance policy you hope to not have to cash in instead of the downhill playmakers most of us grew up watching (Brian Dawkins, Sean Taylor, John Lynch, etc).
EMW fell due to this trend and Browns fans should be ecstatic.
The NFL tends to be both copycat and myopic in view, I remember post draft that Baker's RPO ability was one of the top reasons he ended up #1. This was when the entire league was RPO crazy and that trend has significantly reverted downwards from its height.
As offenses continue to play more TE heavy sets to counter the 2 high shell, I see dynamic safeties making a comeback (but this is the most subjective and least researched opinion in all of this, just trust me bros).
EMW is a fantastic athlete with a 9.01 RAS, but his instincts help him move even faster on the field.
His fluidity in transitioning in his backpedal either to straight line sprint or just changing his coverage target catches some opponents off guard.
Evident of his quick transition ability, he had zero penalties in college, none his entire career. He does not need to hold to stay with his coverage target through breaks.
He flashes enforcer type hits in the middle of the field and can play either safety spot even if you wouldn't want him regularly playing single-high.
He's quick to trigger downhill (probably his best trait) and is a capable tackler at the contact point even if he can miss tackles trying to lay the big hit more often than you'd like.
McNeil Warren's tape was a fun study, if you want more in-depth report on him, I did a youtube video for the 2 minute drill that will shine more of a light on what I see in him and what he brings to the league.
Austin Barber, OT, Florida
(pick 86 | age 22.9 | 6'6 7/8ths 318 | 5.12 40 | 33 3/4ths arms | 9'3 Broad Jump)
After trading back in the round, the Browns selected swing tackle Austin Barber ahead of other highly touted Oline prospects like Emmanuel Pregnon, Caleb Tiernan, Gennings Dunker, and first team all-American Keagen Trost.
The reason is almost assuredly their athletic makeup and the system the Browns run.
Austin posted a 9.77 RAS, he's huge and has great movement skills posting an elite explosiveness grade per his RAS testing.
The Browns run a spread RPO system with vertical route combinations and west coast spacing fundamentals, all built off the zone read run game.
This requires good athletes across the line who are able to move in space and fit blocks on the 2nd level.
Austin projects as a swing tackle with the tools to grow into more.
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
(pick 146 | age 22.5 | 6'1 7/8ths 290 | 4.95 40 | 32.5 vert | 9'10 Broad Jump)
Parker is a scheme dependent, historically small center, who moves with great agility on the second level and seals as well as any center prospect in this draft once there.
He's in the 15th percentile for weight, but 72nd percentile for bench reps. His frame is near maxed out — I can't see him adding a lot of weight in the pros. He's not a project, he is what he is at this point.
Parker is a rare athlete, a freshman all-American and a soph 2nd team all-American, if your scheme favors centers moving laterally and features the burly guards needed to handle combo blocks (pls come back Joel), Parker could blossom into a good starter.
He's 99.8th percentile for the broad jump, 95.6th for vert, 97th for 40 yard dash and 10 yard split.
Just as a reminder, Jason Kelce was a 6th round pick due to the same size concerns.
If you ask him to take on nose tackles, he's undraftable, but in a zone heavy scheme Parker could end up being a steal.
This or EMW were my favorite picks of the draft (in terms of value).
Justin Jefferson, WIL, Alabama
(pick 149 | age 23.1 | 6'0 223 | 4.57 40 | 38 1/2 Vert)
Justin Jefferson is an explosive, undersized WIL with great athleticism and outlier size that gets him washed out of the play by linemen and tight ends alike.
His lack of size doesn't yet come with counters to backdoor or avoid contact with blockers, he gets fit and stonewalled far too often.
He can excel as a special teams player on punt and kick coverage and best projects to that role in the NFL.
He was the 2nd overall JUCO player the year he transferred, the talent is there, but his tweener status means he's likely a situational 2 down player at best in the league.
It's possible he grows into more, but I just wouldn't bet on it.
Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
(pick 170 | age 24.2 | 6'5 250 | Did not test at combine or pro day)
This TE class represented an increase of 42% over the 5 year running average of TE's invited to the combine.
As NFL offenses look to punish the deep 2 high shell by bringing in more TEs and running or passing out of 'heavy sets', TEs become more and more valuable.
This class was deep and Joe as the 11th TE selected still represents a good TE 2 candidate.
Royer is an adequate blocker and an above average pass catcher having broken Travis Kelce's receptions record in a season with 50 in 2024.
Royer excels at 'combat catches' akin to his draft classmate Denzel Boston. Royer wins at the catch point with aggression and a strong frame.
Once Cincy brought in Cyrus Allen from Texas A&M, Royer saw his target share fall dramatically. He went from 50 receptions to 29 from his junior to senior seasons.
It should be mentioned his QB, Brendan Sorsby, was going through a gambling addiction that pushed him into this year's supplemental draft.
Browns fans have seen up close and personal more than once what happens when a QB has an addiction problem and the collateral damage to the entire offense that can come out of it.
If his Junior year wasn't a mirage, the Browns added a great TE 2 candidate with room to grow into more.
As a footnote, Royer could well find his old QB back on the same team as him come July and the supplemental draft.
I fully expect the Browns to put a bid on Sorsby and if successful, move on from Dillon Gabriel.
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
(pick 182 | age 23.5 | 6'5 7/8ths 227 | 4.36 40 | 43 1/2 Vert | 1.55 10 yard split | 9 7/8ths Hands)
Taylen broke the combine for QBs, coming in at 97th percentile height, 99th percentile 40 yard dash, 100th percentile for Vert and Broad.
Only one QB in the history of the combine ran a faster 40 than Taylen, and that QB was Mike Vick.
Taylen also turned the ball over at a historic pace. He threw 39 ints and fumbled 17 times in his career. I was unable to find another drafted QB in the modern era with this many turnovers in their career.
Ball security is such a question mark it negates his other traits no matter how elite they are.
I would love to be wrong, Green would be electric to watch, like a mobile Jameis Winston making big plays that lead to points for either team at any point.
Carsen Ryan, TE, BYU
(pick 248 | age 22.7 | 6'3 255 | 4.71 40 | 6.9 3 cone)
Carsen was drafted 9 picks ahead of Mr. Irrelevant (which should be renamed the Brock Purdy award imo).
Most teams either carry 3 TEs and 1 FB or 4 TEs.
The Browns just signed FB Michael Burton from the Broncos and TE Jack Stoll from the Saints.
In order to make the roster, I believe Carsen will have to beat one of them out. Both have bounced around the league so it's definitely possible.
I think he has a shot, he's a better mover than you'd think for his size.
Carsen put up a 9.29 RAS with a 91st percentile 10-yard split, shuttle, and 3 cone.
He will have to make the roster based on his special teams play and will have to beat out an NFL vet, but he's a good size / speed candidate to find a home on the 3rd phase.
Notable UDFAs
Logan Fano, EDGE, Utah
The most notable UDFA signing not just for the Browns but likely across the entire class.
Logan is Spencer's older brother, a 6'5 260-pound edge rusher who played his college career at Utah alongside his first-round sibling.
Multiple ACL injuries kept him off draft boards despite being a draftable prospect on tape — relentless motor, good run defender, limited upside as a pass rusher but plays hard on every down.
The Browns gave him the largest guaranteed deal in the entire 2026 UDFA class at $310k, Logan has a real shot to make this roster on his own merit, this isn't another Antetokounmpo brother.
Aaron Anderson, WR, LSU
A 5'8 slot receiver out of LSU who put together a strong 2024 with 61 catches for 884 yards and 5 TDs — including a 100-yard kickoff return TD against Oklahoma — before a knee injury cost him the final three games of his 2025 season.
Clean routes and above average footwork, and he was getting slot reps at rookie minicamp this past weekend drawing positive early reviews.
Hands and separation at the catch point are the question marks, but in a receiver room still building depth he has a puncher's chance at the practice squad.
Michael Coats Jr., CB, West Virginia
A well-traveled corner who went from JUCO to Nevada to West Virginia, logging 56 games and 41 starts across his college career.
At 5'9 184 he profiles as a slot corner, and his pro day backed up the athleticism: 4.39 forty, 36" vert, 6.83 3-cone. With the Browns losing MJ Emerson there is opportunity in camp in the secondary.
Final Thoughts
Andrew Berry continues to show how he's survived both the Watson trade and the collective team's back slide to bottom of the league.
In the NFL sustained lack of success means heads have to roll and while Stefanski had won two Coach of the Year awards, his system also clashed with every QB we ever brought in.
In the battle of Stefanski vs Baker we chose Stefanski and in the battle of Stefanski vs Berry we chose Berry.
It's safe to say Andrew Berry is highly valued by this organization even if outsiders might not see why.
Andrew's consistent process of extracting value where possible and taking calculated risks at positions of importance is the right recipe. Now he just needs more premium ingredients.
This draft class, on paper, continues the trend from last year of building out classes that plug holes with quality starters.
Since 1999, with little to no relenting, the problem for the Browns has been a sub-par passing game.
They addressed the most important position on the offensive line while adding depth to the other spots and added two of the top WRs in the draft whose skillsets complement each other.
On defense Berry might have caught a falling star in EMW, who due to league wide trends has seen a lessening of importance on his position.
Add in that both starters at safety this year are free agents and you can see a bit of that thinking two steps ahead approach that underpins Berry's value more than the outcome of his biggest bet.
Still, as always, none of it will amount to much if the long elusive franchise quarterback continues to be a Lake Erie sized hole on the roster.
The table is set for the Browns to address this need in the 2027 draft.
Through all the change, there remains one constant, there's always next year in Cleveland.