Browns swing bold trade that already has 49ers fans in disbelief

It only took two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft for fans of the Cleveland Browns to absolutely love what GM Andrew Berry and his staff are doing.

Fans of the San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, were left in a state of disbelief.

The Browns added a pair of major additions to their haul on Friday in Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston and Toledo Rockets safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. And in a random turn of events, the 49ers played a role in both selections.

San Francisco held the first pick of Day 2 on Friday after trading out of the first round. At No. 33 overall, they tossed the NFL world a bit of a curveball by selecting Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. That helped pave the way to Cleveland landing Boston six picks later.

Stribling was widely viewed as an intriguing mid-round target in this draft, so it was a bit shocking to see him taken on the Day 1 borderline. For context, Stribling wasn’t included on FanSided’s top-50 big board. Boston was ranked as the No. 24 prospect overall.

The 49ers then traded the 58th overall pick to the Browns, who turned it into McNeil-Warren, a player they had strong ties to at nearby Toledo. San Francisco moved back 12 spots to pick No. 70, where it selected Texas Tech pass rusher Romello Height.

Fans were beyond miffed at the move, as there was some buzz around McNeil-Warren joining their defense in that spot. The comments section of insider Adam Schefter’s post on the overall trade details show they were far from pleased with another trade down the board.

Browns took advantage of a move 49ers fans didn’t see coming

McNeil-Warren was routinely mocked to the Browns at pick No. 24 overall in the first round. The opportunity to land him more than 30 picks later feels like a major win for Cleveland. 

There’s been plenty of them so far for the Browns, starting with their Day 1 trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. They were able to move down three spots, add two additional 2026 draft picks, and still land their top target in offensive tackle Spencer Fano. 

Cleveland also officially closed the book on last year’s blockbuster Travis Hunter trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, adding Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion with the 24th overall pick.

It’s still early, as following a third trade, this time with the New York Giants, the Browns hold eight total selections on Day 3, which features Rounds 4 through 7.

But it’s impossible to deny that all things are coming up Cleveland in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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