B-
Cleveland Browns
The Browns did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B-.
by TBarin13 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
There is a lot to like until you notice edge rusher is still a hole. The Browns never got to the one that mattered most. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
That is a linebacker worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Reaching for Freeling left real value on the table behind him.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 12 they get protection for the quarterback, though they paid up to get him. A real need, handled.
Value with a capital V on Arvell Reese in the 24th overall pick, a genuine coup. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Chris Bell in the Round 2 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jake Slaughter in the 70th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Ja'Kobi Lane is a better player than pick No. 107 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Davison Igbinosun at pick 112, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Skyler Gill-Howard in Round 5, Pick 6 is fair value, right on his grade. The roster fit checks out.
They went early on Drew Allar in slot 149, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had VJ Payne higher than slot 206, and the safety fell to them anyway. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Josh Cuevas in pick 248 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.