Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns will have many big decisions to make regarding their plan on draft night. Their biggest needs are wide receiver, left tackle, and nickel corner. The order in which they select those positions depends solely on how the board falls.
With nine total picks in this draft, the Browns will have a massive opportunity to continue the success they have had in the draft recently. Below is a step-by-step plan for how the front office should view their top picks.
Pick #6 will be the hardest decision of the night for the Browns. Looking at your board players like Carnell Tate (WR), Monroe Freeling (OT), Makai Lemon (WR), and possibly Caleb Downs (S) could all be available. This draft class is very strong at receiver, giving you the option to pass at #6 and get one at #24. In that case, Freeling seems like the selection. He is a pure left tackle and a massive human being. At 6’7 315 pounds, he has it all in terms of technique and athleticism. He doesn’t have a ton of playing experience, but he is the perfect player for the Browns’ LT situation.
If the Browns choose to go receiver early, they have three great options. Tate is the consensus best receiver in the draft. He is smooth in his breaks, catching ability, and route running. Some minor concerns are his ability to beat press-man coverage off the line of scrimmage and his ceiling as a WR1. Lemon is a completely different prospect than Tate, much smaller, but he plays more physical. He had an outstanding 2025 season and was very versatile for USC, lining up outside and in the slot.
Lemon wouldn’t be a bad pick for Cleveland, but it feels like a reach at #6 for the way he projects to be used in the NFL. The last wide receiver whose name is brought up early is Jordyn Tyson. One of the most talented players in this class, but has major injury concerns. Pick #6 feels rich for Tyson, but you can’t rule it out.
The last scenario is the Browns trading out of Pick #6. The board should have a lot of talented defensive players available when they are up. Teams behind them might want to move up to take one. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and New Orleans Saints are all looking for defensive help, and could potentially move up. This would work well for the Browns; they move back a few spots and acquire even more draft capital for the future. For example, if they trade with the Cowboys and move back to #12, they would have their choice of a talented receiver, or a tackle like Freeling, while adding even more picks.
My Selection: Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)
The same situation for Pick #24 is either getting their receiver or left tackle. Depending on who they decide to select at #6 makes this pick just as important. Players like Caleb Lomu (OT), Omar Cooper Jr (WR), Kaydn Proctor (OT), and Denzel Boston (WR) all project to go in this range. Lomu is a player gaining traction to be a great fit at this pick for his size and ceiling. With Dawand Jones still being on this roster, the left tackle they select at either #6 or #24 doesn’t have to play right away. Players like Freeling, Lomu, and Max Iheanachor would all benefit from sitting and learning.
The receiving options at this pick are talented as well. Cooper Jr is fresh off a national championship, and he was a big reason why Fernando Mendoza had the success he did this year. Boston is a big receiver who moves well. The hands and ability to separate are concerns, but he gives a lot to work with in other areas. Lastly, some round two guys like Chris Bell, KC Concepcion, and Germie Bernard could all be players the Browns feel good enough to take with this pick.
In this scenario, with the Browns taking Tate at #6, Lomu seems like the pick and fills a position of need. They would walk away from day one with the best receiver in the draft and a developmental left tackle with great size and traits.
My Selection: Caleb Lomu (OT, Utah)
The Browns start day two with a receiver and left tackle already selected in the round prior. While nickel corner seems like the pick here at #39, they should take approach of going best available. Players like Chris Brazzell (WR), D’Angelo Ponds (CB), Brandon Cisse (CB), and Emmanuel Pregnon (OG) are all expected to go in this range leaving Cleveland with options.
If the Browns decides to go defense, Ponds makes a lot of sense. A true nickel corner who made play after play during Indiana’s dominant playoff run. The concern with him is his size, at 5’9 180 you are limited to where he plays. He showed off his ability to play physical despite his lack of size all season long. He would fill a need, but is is the best player to pick at #39?
A player that fits what the Browns need more is Bell. He had a great 2025 season before tearing his ACL. A bigger wideout at 6’2, 222 pounds gives Cleveland a true X receiver, which they haven’t had in years. They will be banking on Bell to make a full recovery, but could also be a steal if he turns into the next DK Metcalf or AJ Brown. This gives the Browns a receiving room of Tate, Bell, Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond, and Malachi Corley.
My Selection: Chris Bell (WR, Louisville)
In this scenario, the Browns walk away from the first two rounds with a young developmental left tackle and two starting receivers. The other six picks in this draft can be used for depth and filling that nickel corner hole. Come draft night, they may go LT at #6 and WR at #24 and if they get two good young players, there is no problem with that. As long as general Andrew Berry identifies needs and fills them with high upside players, then Browns fans can walk away happy and be excited for 2026.
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