BEREA — The Browns’ strategy for the 2026 NFL Draft was clear as day. It was obvious from Day 1 all the way to their final pick of the weekend.
Offense. Then, more offense. Then, when you think there’s no more offensive players to get, grab some more.
By the time the weekend ended, Cleveland had selected 10 players over seven rounds. They also made six trades — some to move up, some to move back — which ultimately netted them an additional draft pick this year and two Day 3 picks in the 2027 draft.
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All of that was true to the words general manager Andrew Berry had said the day after the 2025 season ended — that the Browns were going to dedicate a substantial amount of resources to fixing a broken offense. It was true to his words to Todd Monken, whom he hired to replace Kevin Stefanski as head coach.
“We were transparent with all the candidates we talked to about that part of it,” Berry said near the end of the draft. “We were honest with where we were in our roster’s life cycle and said, ‘Hey, look, here’s how we’ve positioned ourselves going into this year and here’s how we generally anticipate deploying the assets.’ So that’s something that we were very open about.
“I think to accept a job this big as a head coach in the NFL, when you’re walking into a team with transition, like, you have to have visibility in terms of what that’ll look like moving forward.”
So, with a full draft accounted for, what are the big thoughts to come from what Berry and the Browns did this weekend? Let’s dive into a few of them.
A young Cleveland Browns team awaits in 2026
We’ll cut right to the chase. The Browns thought 2025 was a season of transition with the most rookie starters (10) in the NFL.
Not all of those 10 now-second-year players will start in 2026. Nor will all 10 of this year’s draft class start, although it’s a safe bet the Browns at least came out of the first two days with four — offensive tackle Spencer Fano, wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
However, this feels like the point where the Browns fully lean into the youth movement as much as possible. That youth can still be players who may not be rookies, but still have less than five seasons of experience.
That puts a lot of pressure on these last few draft classes to hit the ground running. For the most part, the 2025 class has to take a step forward while the newest group of Browns draftees must at least come close to the bar set by the previous group of rookies.
Can that happen while also winning games? The answer to that almost certainly lies in the answer to the quarterback question, to which a new variable to the equation was introduced in the sixth round.
Taylen Green a 1 of 1 physical specimen Browns have never had before
The Browns did indeed add a quarterback through the draft. They selected Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, the nearly 6-foot-6, 227-pound specimen who ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the combine, which is the second-fastest 40 by a quarterback since 2003.
Green goes right into a quarterback group that has two Class of 2025 members — Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel — and veteran Deshaun Watson. How seriously a threat in 2026 he is to the starting job naturally is dependent on a variety of factors, including his developmental curve.
One thing that feels almost certain is that the entire physical/athletic package Green brings to the quarterback position is unique compared to anything the Browns have had before. The combination of size, arm strength and speed makes him a weapon that, if he can cut down the turnover issues he struggled with throughout college, could be a jackpot payout for a sixth-round pick.
Berry bristled at any Lamar Jackson comparisons, even those drawn because of either Monken’s work with Jackson in Baltimore or from Green and Jackson both playing under Bobby Petrino in college. He, rightfully, said “There’s only one Lamar Jackson.”
That’s where Monken and the offensive staff need to get to work because, if Green can fine-tune the skills and tidy up the turnover problems, the weapon the Browns could have at the quarterback position could be game-changing.
Players who can only play one place need not apply
If there was a word to describe most of the Browns’ draft class, it’s “versatile.” Almost all of the players in the class have the ability to move around and possibly play in multiple spots.
Nowhere is that more evident than among the offensive linemen they drafted. Spencer Fano, taken at No. 9 overall, is going to play left tackle after almost exclusively being a right tackle for the better part of his football career.
Fano, though, admitted he worked out during the pre-draft process at all three interior spots as well. Parker Brailsford, the Alabama center taken at pick No. 146 in the fifth round, has been viewed by some as a guard.
Even Austin Barber, the Florida offensive tackle taken No. 86 in the third round, has the potential to slide inside as a guard. However, Monken wants to at least see him try tackle first.
“It’s actually honestly a little bit of a delicate balance,” Berry said. “Todd talks about it all the time, and he’s used some other young players that he’s coached where the excitement can be, when we select this guy, he can do this, he can do that, he can do this. And you don’t want to spread them too thin through early.
“So we’ll probably start them off in kind of one spot and let them get their sea legs, so to speak, before branching out. But it’s certainly something that we’re excited about as we move forward.”
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns final draft thoughts center on youth, unique QB and versatility
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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