The Browns were almost universally praised for their haul in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they had plenty of capital to work with—and our selections would have varied using the Wolf Sports big board.

 

Actual selections

1.09: OT Spencer Fano

1.24: WR KC Concepcion

2.39: WR Denzel Boston

2.58: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

3.86: OT Austin Barber

5.146: C Parker Brailsford

5.149: LB Justin Jefferson

5.170: TE Joe Royer

6.182: QB Taylen Green

7.248: TE Carsen Ryan

 

Wolf Sports selections

1.09: S Caleb Downs

1.24: CB D’Angelo Ponds

2.39: WR Germie Bernard

2.58: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

3.86: G DJ Campbell

5.146: LB Harold Perkins Jr.

5.149: DL Zane Durant

5.170: TE John Michael Gyllenborg

6.182: QB Jalon Daniels

7.248: WR Deion Burks

 

Thoughts

It seemed clear that Cleveland was targeting an offensive tackle and wide receiver in some order with two first-round picks to work with, and that’s exactly what they did by trading back for Spencer Fano and taking KC Concepcion—both of whom should provide a big boost to the offense. We were lower on Fano than others (and for what it’s worth, the same was true regarding No. 10 overall pick Jedrick Wills back in 2020), but Concepcion is an electric pass-catcher to pair with Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. as a very promising young trio.

 

There is no doubt that the offense needed more help, but our board would have led to Caleb Downs (our No. 1 overall prospect) and D’Angelo Ponds (No. 4)—which could have taken the defense to another level. And with the second selection in Round 2, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren still being on the board would have given the Browns a dominant secondary roaming behind Myles Garrett that included Denzel Ward, Ponds, Downs, McNeil-Warren, and others.

 

Denzel Boston was the target for Cleveland with their first second-round pick, and they clearly wanted to balance the speed of Concepcion with more of a big-bodied weapon. We’ll see how Boston does in Todd Monken’s offense, but we expect Germie Bernard will be a player that—similar to A.J. Brown in 2019—teams will regret having passed on (and the Browns will see him twice a year in the AFC North).

 

The selection for Cleveland in Round 3 was interesting with Austin Barber being their No. 4 offensive tackle if Tytus Howard is starting on the right side, but the Browns are considered a forward-looking team—and swing tackle Dawand Jones is entering the final year of his contact. While it’s possible things are shuffled around in the coming months, Cleveland is now expected to have a starting five of Spencer Fano (LT), Zion Johnson (LG), Elgton Jenkins (C), Teven Jenkins (RG), and Tytus Howard (RT).

 

We are still confident in Dawand Jones based on what he’s shown when on the field, so our selection of DJ Campbell—with right guard arguably being the weak spot—would have led to a starting five of Jones (LT), Johnson (LG), Jenkins (C), Campbell (RG), and Howard (RT). Again, we weren’t as high on Fano, but our would-be starters seem like a formidable group, and the No. 9 pick would have instead been used on Downs.

 

For the Day 3 selections, Cleveland first took two players from Alabama in Parker Brailsford and Justin Jefferson, then followed it up with a couple of tight ends sandwiching an upside shot at quarterback with Taylen Green. We preferred the skillset of Harold Perkins Jr. (especially with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s future still uncertain due to a neck injury) at linebacker among our selections, and Jalon Daniels was the target at quarterback.