The Cleveland Browns had a good opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft. They selected Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano and later added Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion.
The Browns made a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs at the start of the draft, giving up their original No. 6 pick. In return, Cleveland picked up extra selections at No. 74 and No. 148 in addition to the Chiefs' original pick at No. 9, where the Browns took Fano.
Besides that trade, another surprise came when the Los Angeles Rams took Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Alabama had a good season, and Simpson had his moments with the Crimson Tide. He threw for 3,567 yards, had 28 touchdowns, and threw only five interceptions.
On the surface, those are solid stats. However, his limited time as a starting quarterback had many folks — Browns fans, especially — concerned about his progression to the NFL.
Why the Rams’ shocking QB pick is a massive relief for Browns fans
With the Browns' struggles over the past several years to identify a legitimate long-term solution at quarterback, there was a lot of chatter among Cleveland fans that maybe the Browns were considering drafting another quarterback. Simpson's name was a natural connection given his father's ties to head coach Todd Monken through Southern Miss.
After the Browns drafted not one but two quarterbacks a year ago in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, the idea of drafting another quarterback seemed illogical to most Browns fans.
There had been a lot of conversation leading up to the draft that Simpson could be drafted in the later stages of the first round, but no one expected him to go as high as No. 13, where the Rams took him to be the heir apparent to current QB Matthew Stafford.
If he hadn't been drafted by the Rams, Cleveland held the No. 24 pick and that nightmare scenario Browns fans had feared could have been too much for them. Instead, the Rams now take on that project.
Simpson will now have time to learn behind Stafford in Los Angeles, or at least that's what the Rams are hoping for. With Stafford's history of injuries and nearing retirement, Simpson being thrown into the fire seems like a very real possibility.
Cleveland can now continue to build its team in other areas, including in the trenches, and help protect current quarterbacks Sanders and Deshaun Watson, one of whom will likely start in Week 1.
The Browns could still add a Day 3 quarterback like Drew Allar from Penn State. That's a much better scenario than drafting a quarterback like Simpson in the first round that still has too many question marks.