B-
Cleveland Browns
The Browns let Wright fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Zman ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Dae'Quan Wright slides to the 206th overall pick, you do not overthink it, and the Browns did not.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
No drama and no debate, Makai Lemon went about where he belonged in the 6th pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
In No. 24 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
Good price on Brandon Cisse in pick No. 39, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A straight-up fair deal on Jacob Rodriguez at slot 70, value and slot in agreement. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They took Keylan Rutledge at par in Round 4, Pick 7, which is nothing to complain about. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Kaytron Allen. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Zxavian Harris at pick 149 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
A tight end of that caliber at the Round 6 slot is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Eli Heidenreich come to them and pounced at No. 248. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.