B
Cleveland Browns
The Browns answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: B.
by TBarin13 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. D'Angelo Ponds had no business being available in the 107th overall pick, and the Browns did the only sane thing and turned in the card. No fireworks, but a solid B.
So much rides on Fernando Mendoza that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 6 they get the arm they will build around. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 24th pick they get a building block for the line at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Sonny Styles in slot 39 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They barely believed it either: Chris Brazzell II still on the board at the 70th pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
D'Angelo Ponds at pick 107 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid a round early for Beau Stephens in the 146th overall pick, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Joe Royer in No. 149 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tim Keenan III at the Round 6 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Eric McAlister in Round 7, Pick 32, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.