A-
Cleveland Browns
Lawson should have been long gone. The Browns pounced, and earned a A-.
by CRbrownie ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Browns fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with.
The Lawson pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. Adding De'Von Achane by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
Fa'amoe has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 18 they get a difference-maker at receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 24 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dillon Thieneman at pick 39. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
D'Angelo Ponds at No. 43 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Eli Stowers, who had no business lasting to slot 70. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Deontae Lawson still on the board at the 107th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing DeMonte Capehart in slot 146. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They took Isaiah World at par in the 149th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A quiet steal in the Round 6 slot: Taylen Green for less than the market said. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had cheaper options than Fa'alili Fa'amoe at No. 248, and it noticed. A need, and now a little less of one.