Cleveland Browns: 3 wide receivers to consider at No. 26

1. Rashod Bateman, Minnesota

This one might not happen simply because Rashod Bateman should be gone before pick No. 26. A top-20 talent, Bateman is predicted to go much earlier than when Cleveland is on the clock but we have seen in recent seasons that anything’s possible — especially when it comes to wide receivers.

For example, no one thought CeeDee Lamb was going to slide to No. 17 and when he did, the Dallas Cowboys pounced on the opportunity to draft him. There was also the recent slide of D.K. Metcalf, who looked to be a first-rounder but lasted until pick 64 in 2019 where the Seattle Seahawks took him and have looked brilliant for the move.

Of course, Bateman isn’t getting out of the first round and if he does somehow slide to 26, there’s no doubt the Browns should stop his fall.

There’s no player who would improve the Cleveland offense more than Bateman as he’s a perfect fit in Stefanski’s system. He’s a player who does the little things well which is important in Cleveland but he still can break a game open with his ability to win deep.

Armed with a complete route tree and the ability to win contested passes, Bateman is a player who can not only beat zone coverage but is also hard to stick with in man coverage as well.

It might not be the most popular move but the Browns could definitely benefit from adding a wideout such as Bateman and thanks to the signings made in the offseason, it wouldn’t kill their chances in 2021 to get better on defense.