The Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a war chest of picks and a clear mandate: rebuild the offensive line, add weapons, and stockpile assets for what could be a franchise-defining 2027. By almost every measure, they delivered. But as Tim Torch — UTH contributor and Cleveland’s most devoted football sufferer — will tell you, optimism in Cleveland always comes with an asterisk.
The Quarterback Question Nobody Wants to Answer
Before diving into the draft, the elephant in the room had to be addressed: who is starting at quarterback in Week 1?
FanDuel has Deshaun Watson as a minus-174 favorite, with Shedeur Sanders at plus-136, Dylan Gabriel at a long-shot plus-5,500, and Taylen Green at plus-8,000. By the numbers, it looks like a two-man race. By the vibe, it looks like a disaster waiting to happen.
“We’re just at an amazing point right now where everything’s come full circle, and we might be back to Deshaun Watson getting the start,” Torch said. “Which is just absolutely amazing to think we’re back here right now.”
He cited a striking ESPN stat from Ben Solak: of 907 seasons with at least 200 pass attempts this century, Watson’s 2024 ranked 902nd in yards per drop back. And yet, there’s a galaxy-brain theory floating around that the Browns might trot him out precisely because he guarantees losses — protecting their draft position heading into 2027’s quarterback class.
Neither option inspires confidence. But here’s the counterintuitive wrinkle: the Browns have built a roster good enough that even bad quarterback play might produce a few wins. For a team trying to tank, that’s a problem.
“I do have concerns that the team is starting to be built well enough that they may not be as bad as I hope they are,” Torch admitted.
Their over/under sits at 6.5 wins. In a different world, with competent quarterback play, this team could flirt with that number.
The Draft Picks, Graded
Round 1, Pick 9 — Spencer Fano, OT
The Browns entered the offseason with zero returning starters on the offensive line. Zero. The challenge of completely remaking a unit in a single offseason is generational, and Fano is the cornerstone of that effort.
“They introduced him as their left tackle, so that is pretty firmly where he’s going to play,” Torch said. “To go from where they were last season — bottom of the barrel, right in that bottom eighth of the league — to possibly average, that’s a huge improvement.”
The ceiling is higher than average if the developmental pieces around him click. A solid foundational pick with legitimate upside.
Grade: A
Round 1, Pick 24 — KC Concepcion, WR (Texas A&M)
Wide receiver was a glaring need, and the board cooperated. Many mocks had the Browns targeting Carnell Tate at pick 6 before they traded down. By 24, wide receivers had thinned out — but Concepcion was right there, and Torch believes he was the best value on the board at that position.
“He’s actually my wide receiver in this draft with the biggest upside,” Torch said, comparing his ceiling to players like Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon. “Really what the opportunity is there — I think he’s right up there.”
The dynasty lens is particularly interesting. Concepcion will take a year-one hit playing for a quarterback room that ranges from bad to historically bad, but the long game is compelling.
“Year two, in some way, shape, or form, there is going to be a quarterback upgrade,” Torch noted. “Those guys getting the reps in this year and being able to hit the ground running with a new QB in year two is wonderful.”
Parsons added the contract value dimension: “Even if he’s a functional wide receiver two for them, that’s going to be 25-plus million a year equivalency in the marketplace.”
Grade: A
Round 2, Pick 39 — Denzel Boston, WR
Boston was widely projected as a first-round talent and slipped all the way to 39. The Browns grabbed him without hesitation, creating a fascinating one-two punch at receiver.
The pairing makes more sense than it might appear on the surface. Concepcion profiles as an inside, in-motion type — think Zay Flowers — while Boston brings the size and physicality the group lacked. With Jerry Jeudy, Harold Fannin, and now two drafted receivers, the Browns finally have some dimensional variety in their pass-catching corps.
“This offense was just lacking size overall at the pass-catching position,” Torch said. “You’re going to ask Boston to win in areas he’s already comfortable winning — above the rim, being a big wide receiver — and not asking him to do things he’s probably not comfortable with.”
Losing David Njoku in free agency made this addition even more critical. Boston fills a void as the contested-catch option in the passing game.
Grade: A
Round 2, Pick 58 — Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S
A player with first-round buzz who slid to late in the second — the Browns cleaned up again.
The safety position was quietly a point of concern. Grant Delpit is on his second contract, Ronnie Hickman is a former undrafted free agent, and the secondary has long relied heavily on Denzel Ward, who has battled injuries throughout his career. McNeil-Warren brings youth and athleticism to a unit in transition.
“I do think they just need to start getting younger and better in the secondary, faster in different ways,” Torch said.
There’s also a coaching change caveat here worth noting: Jeff Schwartz is no longer running the defense, and the transition brings real uncertainty about whether Cleveland’s unit remains elite. “It’s not a one-for-one going from where we were at the defensive coaching position to where we are now,” Torch cautioned.
Grade: B+
Round 3, Pick — Austin Barber, OT (Florida)
Round 5 — Parker Brailsford, C (Alabama)
Two more offensive linemen, neither projected to start Week 1, both capable of contributing by midseason. The Browns are playing the long game on the line, accumulating developmental pieces with legitimate starting upside.
“Keep your own resources at it. Just keep giving young players an opportunity to develop,” Torch said. “I’m really interested to see how that starts to come together and meld, especially with some of that youth developing.”
Grade: B
Round 5 — Justin Jefferson, LB (Alabama)
Not to be confused with the Vikings’ star receiver. This Jefferson is a linebacker out of Alabama with 140-plus career tackles in 41 games — a steady, productive college career at a program that still commands respect despite some recent fade from its dynasty years.
The need is clear: linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s status for the 2026 season remains uncertain, and depth behind him was thin.
“Jefferson is kind of one of those steady Eddy players,” Torch said. “If you can get a player of that elk with those type of bloodlines at that point in the draft, you take the shot. It’s just for depth, hopefully.”
Grade: B-
Rounds 5 — Joe Royer, TE & Carson Ryan, TE (BYU)
The Browns doubled up at tight end on Day 3, and given the depth at the position in this class, the timing was right. With Harold Fannin as the clear lead option, Cleveland needed bodies — and this class was full of athletic Day 3 tight ends that teams were paying Day 2 prices for elsewhere.
“We’re going to see pretty often across the NFL a move to 12 and 13 personnel,” Torch said. “They need more bodies in that tight end room.”
Royer transferred from Ohio State to Cincinnati and had a serviceable career. Ryan brings inline blocking ability and enough athleticism to stay on rosters. Both allow Fannin to operate as the move tight end — the Gerald Everett-type role — without asking him to be something he’s not.
Grade: B
Round 6 — Taylen Green, QB
The most fascinating pick of the entire draft.
Green was a genuine Round 3-4 talent on many boards. The Browns grabbed him in the sixth, and nobody quite knows what to make of it. Is he a quarterback? A wildcat weapon? A wide receiver project? The Browns may not even know yet.
“This is one of the most interesting picks of the draft,” Torch said. “He is a ball of clay in terms of just being a professional quarterback, but if you look in the past of the NFL — even Terrelle Pryor had a year in the sun — no matter what he is, he will have a spot on a team. Even if it’s a Wildcat situation, you can imagine so many ways to get this young man on the field.”
The roster construction question this creates is real. The Browns theoretically have Watson, Sanders, Gabriel, and now Green. You can’t keep four quarterbacks. Supplemental draft darling Brennan Soresby adds yet another wildcard — Torch floated the possibility of Cleveland making a run at him, which would make the quarterback room a five-man circus.
“I can’t imagine Dylan Gabriel’s still on this team,” Torch said. “Not that I don’t like him — I think he’d be the perfect backup for a team. But I just can’t imagine he’s sticking around this roster.”
The optimal 2027 depth chart, as both hosts see it: Shedeur Sanders as the starter, Taylen Green developing behind him, and a 2027 rookie or Soresby as the third piece. Gabriel is the odd man out.
Grade: B+ (for sheer intrigue)
Overall Draft Grade
Tim Torch: A- The Browns hit every position of need — offensive line, wide receiver, tight end — multiple times. The only knock is a lack of 2027 draft capital. As of now, they have just one pick in every round next year, which constrains their options in what could be a crucial offseason.
Chad Parsons: A+ Running the numbers with premium position weighting, the Browns finished as the top-graded team in the league. Two premium positions in the first round, one in the second, and genuine value throughout Day 3. The volume of picks combined with the efficiency of targeting the right positions pushed them over the top.
Dynasty Fantasy Outlook
Quinshon Judkins, RB — The sleeper of the 2026 season. Judkins arrived late to camp before Week 1 last year with almost no ramp-up time, behind a historically bad offensive line, with a quarterback situation that was an active hindrance. He still produced. Now, with a remade line, a second year in the system, and potentially better QB play, Torch’s top pick for surprise of the year is Judkins as an RB1.
“He could be kind of the surprise of the year,” Torch said. “The cost is definitely not what some of these other running backs are. Why not Quinshon Judkins is kind of the question.”
KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston — Both take a year-one dynasty hit playing in Cleveland’s quarterback environment, but both have the talent to reward patient managers in Year 2 and beyond when the quarterback situation inevitably improves.
Harold Fannin — Still a value. A 22-year-old who produced as a rookie and holds down the primary receiving option role in an offense that just added weapons around him. His target share may compress slightly with new weapons, but his efficiency and age curve make him worth holding.
