The Cleveland Browns have gone full throttle with their youth movement, as the majority of their roster is now below the age of 25. Following Monday's blockbuster Myles Garrett trade with the Los Angeles Rams, the Browns added third-year pro Jared Verse, a highly-touted and productive defensive end, along with several new draft picks for the future.
With youth comes patience and low expectations, though, and that's where the Browns find themselves entering 2026. They also have a new head coach in Todd Monken, and an ongoing quarterback competition that could continue deep into training camp.
With that as the backdrop, ESPN recently released its preseason Football Power Index, which is based on criteria such as projected win totals from the betting market, past team performance, opponent strength, analytical data, and more. In these initial ratings, Cleveland came in at No. 30 of the NFL's 32 teams.
ESPN's FPI gave the Browns a 12.8-percent shot of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. It also gave them a 53.3-percent chance of picking inside the top five.
A projected top-five pick could put Cleveland in position for a franchise quarterback
Some oddsmakers, like FanDuel and DraftKings, have dropped the Browns' predicted win total from 6.5 wins to 5.5 following the Garrett trade. Clearly, no one is expecting much from Cleveland this year.
But to get more competitive, sometimes a team has to start over, and that's where this young Browns team is. Their youth movement includes young first- and second-year stars like Carson Schwesinger (23), Mason Graham (22), Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (22), Harold Fannin Jr. (21), Spencer Fano (23), KC Concepcion (21), Denzel Boston (22), Quinshon Judkins (22), and Shedeur Sanders (24).
If the Browns can't find their quarterback of the future on this year's roster, there are several college prospects that could be there for them early in the 2027 NFL Draft. Dante Moore (Oregon), Arch Manning (Texas), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Drake Lindsey (Minnesota), and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) all have a realistic shot to be drafted in the top five.
Much of the national conversation has focused on Moore and Manning, but it will be a fun college season to watch how all of the prospects fare — and for Browns fans especially. Manning will go toe-to-toe against Sayin in September when Ohio State battles Texas in Austin. Moore travels to Ohio State to go up against Sayin in November.
With the Browns gaining an additional first-round draft pick from their trade with the Rams, it will be interesting to see how GM Andrew Berry looks to leverage that extra capital in the next draft. That 53.3-percent chance of landing a top-five pick becomes even more intriguing when you consider the possibility of Cleveland trading up.
Whatever the Browns decide to do with their draft picks in 2027 will continue to be a major talking point among fans and analysts.
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