The Cleveland Browns have been the NFL’s proverbial punching bag for what's felt like decades. And if we’re being honest, three rounds of an NFL Draft aren't going to change that narrative overnight.
But the work of GM Andrew Berry and the Browns through the first two days of the 2026 draft is impossible to deny. Cleveland is cooking entering Day 3, and no matter what happens during Saturday’s final four rounds, the Browns will enter the meat of their offseason program with one of the league’s most intriguing rosters, in terms of starting spots earmarked for first- and second-year talent.
The Browns ended up making five selections inside the top 90, and all but one of them projects as a major Week 1 contributor. After an impressive Day 1 haul that included the first offensive lineman off the board in Spencer Fano, dynamic wide receiver KC Concepcion, and two extra draft picks via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, Berry shifted gears on Day 2. After landing a potential steal in wide receiver Denzel Boston, the Browns traded up for both safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and offensive tackle Austin Barber.
Draft analysts are loving it, as Fano, Concepcion, Boston, and McNeil-Warren were all first-round projections in the majority of expert mock drafts. NFL writer Lou Scataglia of FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone joined the party. He was so impressed with the Browns early-round moves that he didn’t even wait until Saturday’s fourth round to start to issue a warning to the league:
“It is not at all a stretch to say that the Browns may have landed five starters with their first five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yes, it's very early, as none of them have stepped onto an NFL field before, but it's hard to argue with the sheer amount of talent Berry has been able to land thus far.”
How the Browns can finish off a dream 2026 draft haul on Day 3
After Friday’s late trade back into the third round for Barber, the Browns enter Day 3 without a fourth-round pick. They have an embarrassment of riches early in Round 5, though — in the form of four selections in a seven-pick span.
The strategy of stockpiling Round 5 draft picks has long been a staple of Berry’s mentor, Eagles GM Howie Roseman. But no NFL team should be throwing that many hit-or-miss darts in one draft. It would make sense for the Browns to target and go get at least one more prospect in a move up into the fourth round, while potentially seeking another future pick in 2027; the Browns acquired one, a fourth-rounder, in a Friday night trade with the New York Giants.
As for targets, tight end figures to be high on the Browns list after they missed out on Georgia's Oscar Delp at No. 74 overall. At this point, the next tight end off the board will be the 10th taken overall, so if there’s a player, like Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski, who was mocked to Cleveland by Zac Jackson of The Athletic, they likely won’t sit back and wait.
Aside from finding a potential replacement for David Njoku as their No. 2 tight end, the Browns’ dream Day 3 should include more additions on defense. Aside from perhaps adding an interior lineman with center experience to the mix, the Browns should be eyeing depth at edge, linebacker, and cornerback.
To Scataglia’s point, the Browns will probably earn “A grades” across the board no matter what happens on Saturday. Cleveland still holds five total selections, and Berry has an opportunity to finish off what appears to be another franchise-altering draft class.