Cleveland Browns 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

Subscribe to the Sharp Football Email Newsletter to receive all our 2026 NFL content:

Subscribe to our newsletter:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

 

No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Browns' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Cleveland Browns Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Quarterback
2. Wide Receiver
3. Edge Rusher

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Pre-Order The Best Analytical 2026 Football Preview

Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2026 NFL season.

The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.

This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2026 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.

Pre-order the 2026 Football Preview now!

Cleveland Browns 2026 Draft Capital

The Browns have the 4th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Cleveland Browns Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Browns to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Cleveland Browns Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Cleveland Browns, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Deshaun Watson
2. Shedeur Sanders
3. Dillon Gabriel

Cleveland quarterbacks combined for the worst passer rating in the NFL last season (71.8).

Their passers completed a league-low 58.2% of their passes for 6.0 yards per pass attempt (31st), a 3.2% touchdown rate (30th), a league-high 3.5% interception rate, and took a sack on 8.1% of their dropbacks (25th).

The team selected two rookies last season in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Gabriel made six starts (1-5) with Sanders making seven starts (3-4), and neither player looked the part of being the long-term solution.

Out of 45 quarterbacks to have 100-plus dropbacks last season, Gabriel was 37th in rating (80.8) while Sanders was 44th (68.1).

Gabriel threw for 5.1 yards per pass attempt (44th on that list) while averaging only 5.8 air yards per throw (also 44th).

When Gabriel did attempt to push the ball, he completed 38.8% of his passes (19 of 49) on throws 10 or more yards downfield, which ranked 41st.

Sanders was at 6.6 Y/A (32nd).

Sanders had issues avoiding the negative plays that plagued him in college.

He had a 4.7% interception rate (43rd) with a 9.8% sack rate (39th).

Pro Football Focus credited Sanders with causing 29.1% of his own pressures, which was the second-highest rate in the league.

Both year-two quarterbacks have a low bar to clear for improvement, but they will also compete with Deshaun Watson this summer.

Watson missed all of 2025 with an Achilles injury.

Cleveland is finally in the final season of Watson’s contract, which has been re-vamped a handful of times to expedite ushering him out.

The last time we saw Watson play in 2024, he completed 63.4% of his passes (29th) for 5.3 yards per pass attempt (44th), a 2.3% touchdown rate (42nd), and a league-high 13.3% sack rate.

Running Back

1. Quinshon Judkins
2. Dylan Sampson
3. Raheim Sanders
4. Ahmani Marshall

Cleveland has a trio of year-two backs at the top of their depth chart entering 2026.

Quinshon Judkins handled 256 touches for 998 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie.

As a rusher, Judkins averaged 3.6 yards per attempt (45th out of 49 backs with 100-plus attempts) with a 32.2% success rate (44th).

His lack of efficiency was limited by the offensive environment.

Judkins was 14th out of those 49 backs in yards after contact per rush (3.20), but he was dead last on that list in yards before contact per rush (0.40).

He was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 55.2% of his rushing attempts.

Judkins was not trusted to do much of anything in the passing game as a rookie.

The team ran the ball 57.1% of the time with Judkins on the field, while he ran a route on only 30.4% of the team's dropbacks in his games played.

Judkins did close the season with a significant ankle injury, dislocating his right ankle and fracturing his fibula in Week 16.

The team expects him to be a full participant in training camp.

Dylan Sampson had 98 touches for 446 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie.

Sampson rushed for 2.7 yards per carry, which ranked last among 65 running backs with 50 or more attempts.

Sampson also fell victim to poor offensive line play, averaging a measly 0.25 yards before contact per rush.

But Sampson also had issues when given space.

He ranked last in the league in yards per rush when contacted beyond the line of scrimmage (5.0 YPC).

Where Sampson made an impact on offense as a rookie was in the passing game, catching 33 passes for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Sampson was targeted on 28% of his routes (2nd among running backs with 100-plus routes) with 1.90 yards per route run (2nd) but did not have a full-time role with Jerome Ford cutting into some of that work.

With Ford leaving in free agency, Sampson should be in line to take over the full-time receiving back.

Raheim Sanders had 30 touches as an undrafted rookie, posting 113 yards and a touchdown.

Wide Receiver

1. Jerry Jeudy
2. Cedric Tillman
3. Isaiah Bond
4. Tylan Wallace
5. Malachi Corley
6. Gage Larvadain
7. Jamari Thrash
8. Isaiah Wooden
9. Luke Floriea

Cleveland wide receivers combined for a league-low 6.9 receptions and 86.3 receiving yards per game in 2025 while catching a league-low 4 touchdowns.

After a breakout season in 2024 with 90 catches for 1,229 yards and 4 touchdowns, Jerry Jeudy totaled 50 catches for 602 yards and 2 touchdowns last season.

Jeudy’s 2024 output was fueled by his splits playing with Jameis Winston, but the Browns changed his usage on top of that, which gave him fewer successful target opportunities.

After playing 63.7% of his snaps out wide in 2024, Jeudy was lined up out wide for 86.3% last year.

His slot rate went from 34.6% down to 13.3% last season.

As a result, he went from an 11.7% deep target rate in 2024 up to a 17% rate in 2025.

Only 6.9% of Jeudy’s targets in 2024 were on go routes, but that rate ballooned to 15.1% last year.

As a result, he went from a 10.3% inaccurate target rate in 2024 up to 16% last season.

Jeudy is still under contract for the next two seasons at reasonable rates of $10.3 million and $13.4 million.

Outside of Jeudy, the only receiver signed beyond 2026 is Isaiah Bond.

Bond caught only 18 of his 44 targets (40.9%) as a rookie as he lived on a diet of shot plays.

Bond’s 17.7 air yards per target were the highest on the team, and 40.9% of his targets were 20 or more yards downfield.

That led to a team-high 27.3% inaccurate target rate.

Bond pushed Cedric Tillman for snaps during the season.

Tillman is in the final season of his rookie contract, catching 21 of 39 targets for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Through three seasons, Tillman has failed to hit 30 catches in a season while missing multiple games in each season.

Tight End

1. Harold Fannin
2. Blake Whiteheart
3. Jack Stoll
4. Brenden Bates
5. Sal Cannella
6. Caden Prieskorn

Harold Fannin was one of the bright spots for the Browns in 2025.

Fannin led the team in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and touchdowns (6) as a rookie.

He led all tight ends that ran at least 100 pass routes last season in target rate per route (24.7%) while posting 1.68 yards per route run (13th) in an anemic offense.

Fannin became a full-time player as David Nojku’s injuries mounted.

From Week 7 on, Fannin was targeted on 26.4% of his routes with 1.83 yards per route run.

If there is something on the negative end to note with Fannin, he was limited in the run game, something that was a concern for him at his size coming into the league.

Fannin ranked 76th in run blocking grade among tight ends out of 87 qualifiers.

The Browns ran the ball 38.4% of the time with Fannin on the field, but 50% of the time with Blake Whiteheart in the game.

The addition of Jack Stoll also gives them another body to use as a blocker when they go to multiple tight end sets with Fannin playing as a receiver.

Offensive Line

LT: Dawand Jones, Jeremiah Byers
LG: Zion Johnson, Kendrick Green
C: Elgton Jenkins, Luke Wypler, Kingsley Eguakun
RG: Teven Jenkins, Zak Zinter, Tyre Phillips
RT: Tytus Howard, KT Leveston, Jack Conley

Last season, the Browns ranked last in the league in pass blocking grade per Pro Football Focus while ranking 29th in run blocking grade.

What was once the cornerstone of this offense is getting completely overhauled this offseason.

The Browns' most-frequent offensive line combination last season was on the field for 226 snaps (21.9%), which ranked 28th in the league.

Joel Bitonio was the only offensive lineman to play in all 17 games, while Teven Jenkins (16 games) was the only other lineman to appear in more than 14 games.

The team remains linked to Bitonio potentially returning for 2026, but Cleveland has already gone out and added three new potential starters in Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins, and Zion Johnson.

Howard and Johnson are former first-round picks.

Howard has a low bar to clear in being better than what Cleveland had at offensive tackle last season.

Cleveland's offensive tackles combined to allow 21 sacks with 36 penalties in 2025.

Four different tackles allowed at least an 8% pressure rate, with KT Leveston at 8% (78th among tackles), Cam Robinson at 8.5% (83rd), Jack Conklin at 10.7% (92nd), and Cornelius Lucas at a league-worst 15%.

Howard was at 3.7% last season, which ranked 12th at the position.

Where Howard fell out of favor with Houston was as a run blocker in their transition to a man/gap scheme.

Howard was 20th in pass blocking grade among tackles last season, but 85th in run blocking grade.

Johnson struggled with the Chargers, ranking 59th in overall grade among guards.

Bitonio was 23rd.

Elgton Jenkins has experience playing across every position up front, giving the Browns some flexibility.

Elgton Jenkins only appeared in nine games last season due to injuries, playing all but one of his snaps at center.

Before moving to center last year, Elgton Jenkins played the previous two years at left guard.

Left tackle is a question mark entering the draft.

Appearing in only three games last season, Dawand Jones has only made 20 starts over his first three years.

Jones is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Cleveland Browns Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Cleveland Browns, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Mason Graham
2. Maliek Collins
3. Kalia Davis
4. Mike Hall
5. Adin Huntington
6. Sam Kamara

The Browns allowed a middling 4.2 yards per carry to running backs last season, but they ranked second in yards allowed before contact on those carries (0.87).

The No. 5 overall pick last year, Mason Graham stepped right in as a starter and played well against the run, recording 9 run stuffs.

Surprisingly, Graham had a tougher time as a pass rusher, recording pressure on just 8.5% of his rushes.

The Browns should expect some improvement in that area.

Maliek Collins is back after logging 6.5 sacks over just 12 games in his first season with the team.

That duo gives the Browns a good duo at the top of the unit, and they added Kalia Davis in free agency to help out the depth.

This is not the best unit in the league, but Cleveland is probably fine along the defensive line, especially when compared to the rest of the roster.

Edge Defenders

1. Myles Garrett
2. Alex Wright
3. Isaiah McGuire
4. Julian Okwara

Thanks in large part to Myles Garrett’s record-setting performance, the Browns finished eighth in pressure rate (39.5%) and third in sacks (53) last season.

Garrett set the NFL record with 23 sacks and once again recorded a pressure rate near the top of the league.

He has forced pressure on 17.1% of his pass rush snaps over the last five seasons.

That would have ranked in the top 10 among qualified pass rushers last season.

There have been trade rumors about Garrett this offseason, but assuming he is still on the roster, the Browns will continue to have one of the best pass rushers in the league.

The picture is not as rosy behind Garrett.

Alex Wright did get 5.5 sacks last season, but he had a bottom-tier 8.9% pressure rate.

Isaiah McGuire got more consistent pressure, but he was only able to log 2 sacks.

As things stand, the Browns need a better option to pair with Garrett.

If Garrett leaves, Cleveland will be in dire straits on the edge.

Linebacker

1. Carson Schwesinger
2. Quincy Williams
3. Nathaniel Watson
4. Winston Reid
5. Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
6. Edefuan Ulofoshio

Linebacker can be a strong spot for the Browns this season if things play out as they hope.

Cleveland hit big on 2025 second-round pick Carson Schwesinger, who logged 156 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions on his way to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

There were not just empty tackles, either.

Schwesinger finished tied for eighth among linebackers with 17 run stuffs.

The young linebacker will be joined in the starting lineup by Quincy Williams, who joined in free agency to replace Devin Bush.

Williams is coming off a down season in New York while playing in a new scheme, but he was a first-team All-Pro back in 2023.

The linebackers coach on that Jets team was Mike Rutenberg, who is taking over as the defensive coordinator in Cleveland.

Williams has big shoes to fill in replacing Bush, but he has demonstrated the talent to be one of the best linebackers in the league.

If that does not happen, though, the Browns do not have quality depth at linebacker, perhaps making this a position they target at some point in the draft.

Cornerback

1. Denzel Ward
2. Tyson Campbell
3. Myles Harden
4. D’Angelo Ross
5. Tre Avery
6. Dom Jones

Cleveland allowed 6.6 yards per attempt (9th) and finished first in EPA allowed per pass last season.

Denzel Ward has a nice bounce-back season, finishing 28th among qualified cornerbacks in yards allowed per coverage snap.

Acquired from the Jaguars in the trade that sent Greg Newsome the other way, Tyson Campbell was solid in his 12 games with the Browns.

He allowed 6.4 yards per target in his coverage over that span and an 84.8 quarterback rating.

Campbell also consistently made plays on the football, recording just 1 interception but finishing the season tied for second in the league in passes defensed (18).

Myles Harden worked as the primary slot corner last season, but he struggled in that role, finishing 90th among qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snap.

That is a concern because there are no real options behind Harden on the depth chart.

Martin Emerson, who remains a free agent, could be an option, but he missed all of last season with a torn Achilles.

At the very least, they need more depth at corner, and they could really use a starting-quality addition.

Safety

1. Grant Delpit
2. Ronnie Hickman
3. Daniel Thomas
4. Donovan McMillon
5. Chris Edmonds

With Ronnie Hickman returning to the team, the Browns will run things back at safety.

Hickman and Grant Delpit combined to play 2,051 snaps last season.

Delpit finished 18th among defensive backs in run stuffs, though he was not as strong in pass coverage.

Hickman picked up the slack there, allowing just a 78.7 passer rating in his coverage.

The Browns also added Daniel Thomas as depth in free agency.

Cleveland could use more options at safety, but they are set at the top of the depth chart.

There are more pressing concerns elsewhere on the roster.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams