Weeks before the NFL Draft, all we can do as fans is dream. That’s especially true for fans of the Cleveland Browns, as mock drafts have been flying around for months now with no clear consensus on what GM Andrew Berry and company might do at pick No. 6 and beyond.
It does make you wonder: What would the perfect 2026 draft class look like for the Browns, who hold nine total selections for this year's event? From the most glaring roster needs to simply the most fun overall selections for head coach Todd Monken, let’s take a crack at waving the magic wand.
For full disclosure, we passed on using a mock draft simulator, and there’s obviously no guarantee that these players will be on the board when the Browns are actually on the clock in each round. But based on the latest intel and projections, there’s definitely a chance, and they make up Cleveland’s dream seven-round draft haul.
What a perfect Browns mock draft looks like:
Round 1: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah and Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Carnell Tate makes sense for the Browns at No. 6, but the talent drop-off at wide receiver feels less dramatic with this year’s class. Fano just checks every box for Todd Monken and company. He’s big, mean, and athletic enough to one day anchor the Browns’ rushing attack. They could either let him compete with Dawand Jones right away for the starting left tackle spot, or let him transition more naturally as this year’s swing tackle. Either way, taking Fano at No. 6 feels like the right path for Cleveland.
Addressing tackle early would allow GM Andrew Berry to pivot to his team’s other big need: wide receiver. Passing on Tate would sting a bit, but Cooper represents the ultimate consolation prize. He possesses everything NFL talent evaluators covet — play strength, explosiveness, alignment versatility — and might have the best hands in the class. He had an elite drop percentage of 4.2 over his three years with the Hoosiers, per Pro Football Focus, and also never fumbled the football. Add a national championship to his resume, and you have an impact playmaker to bolster your wide receiver group for years to come.
Round 2: Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
The current pre-draft chatter around a Myles Garrett trade is not rooted in reality. Did the Browns make it easier to move their future Hall of Famer by reworking the language in his contract last month? Without a doubt. Did they do it with an eye on trading him for 2026 draft capital? That's doubtful, at best.
If Garrett and the Browns seriously entertain trade options, it wouldn’t come until after June 1 for salary cap purposes. In the meantime, it would behoove the Browns to cover their bases, and if Young falls into their laps at No. 39 overall, the fit feels too good to ignore. The Browns struggled to contain the rush last season, and Young profiles as arguably the best edge-setting run defender in this year’s class.
If Cleveland did ever decide to trade Garrett, Young could help hold down the fort until the team can realize the future draft capital coming back in that deal.
Round 3: Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Cornerbacks have been popular picks for the Browns in multi-round expert mock drafts, and Scott feels like the prime fit for new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg. He’s one of those positionless defensive backs who can play up in the box as either a hybrid linebacker or slot corner, and ESPN’s Matt Bowen tabbed him as the best secondary blitzer in this year’s class.
Rutenberg’s prior work as both a linebackers coach and passing game specialist meshes well with Scott’s profile. The Browns also clearly want to add competition at the nickel spot for Myles Harden, as they recently added veteran Myles Bryant to the mix.
Round 4: Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
The Browns addressed their interior offensive line during the first wave of free agency, adding a pair of starters in Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. They could use more young talent in the pipeline, particularly to compete at the center and right guard spots.
Slaughter feels like the ideal target for pick No. 107 overall. He was a two-time All-American with the Gators and has the makeup the Browns are coveting for a long-term solution at center.
Round 5: Nate Boerkircher, TE, Texas A&M and Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana
While the team’s decision to let David Njoku test free agency this offseason made sense, they still need to find his replacement. With all due respect to Blake Whiteheart and Jack Stoll, the team has an empty spot at No. 2 tight end on its current depth chart.
The perfect pairing with pass-catching stalwart Harold Fannin Jr. would be to find a blocking specialist with receiving upside. Boerkircher checks those boxes. He’s an older prospect, as he’ll turn 25 during his rookie season, but he possesses a wealth of experience as an in-line tight end and has excellent size at over 6-foot-5. He’s one of the sturdiest blockers in this year’s class and could easily find himself starting in Week 1 as a Day 3 pick.
Cleveland holds two early fifth-round picks, and targeting an inside linebacker in this range feels spot-on. Fisher, another reigning national champion from Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers, combined for over 200 total tackles over the last two seasons, covering ground like his hair was on fire from the second level. His play style seems eerily similar to that of Quincy Williams, whom the Browns recently signed in free agency. If the Browns are looking for Carson Schwesinger’s long-term running mate in this draft, Fisher projects perfectly as Williams’ future replacement.
Round 6: Kaden Wetjen, WR, Iowa
The Browns’ special teams have been a disaster for years, but last year was about as close to rock bottom as it gets. The Tylan Wallace signing should help, but after the team made other moves specifically for special teams, like adding safety Daniel Thomas in free agency, it makes perfect sense to add a specialist in the latter rounds of this draft.
Enter Wetjen, the electric Hawkeyes return man who took three punts and one kickoff back for scores in 2025 alone. He did most of his damage as a wide receiver right around the line of scrimmage at Iowa, but the Browns could use another young playmaker on offense as well. With Cleveland’s elite defense, the ability to steal a touchdown on one touch could be the difference between wins and losses in 2026, and Wetjen offers that upside for the bargain projected price of a sixth-round pick. Sign us up!
Round 7: Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
Cleveland obviously needs help at quarterback, but it’s hard to see them spending a premium pick on a player like Ty Simpson, Carson Beck, or Drew Allar. Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel are already in the playbook, and while an early- or mid-round addition to that group is possible, it just doesn't make a ton of sense based on the team’s approach to date.
Berry did signal to reporters that the Browns could look to add another young player to the group, and Pavia might be the funnest seventh-round selection in this year’s draft class. He’d obviously be a project as the third or fourth QB on the depth chart, but he was a Heisman Trophy finalist for a reason, and his ability to create big plays off schedule is what could appeal to Monken the most.
Pavia might end up going undrafted after generously measuring in at 5-foot-10 at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he’s the best late-round dart throw in this draft, if nothing else but for pure training camp theater.