The Cleveland Browns took two wide receivers with their first three picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. They were desperate for help in the playmaking department, and doubling down on the position was probably the wisest and safest bet they could have made.
However, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston were never going to be the team's only reinforcements at wide receiver. Isaiah Bond missed most of last year's offseason workouts, and he thus had plenty of catching up to do throughout the course of the season. Now, with a year of experience under his belt, he's expected to take a big leap.
In an interview on 92.3 The Fan last week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry had nothing but praise for his trio of young wideouts. That could eventually put pressure on Jerry Jeudy's standing as the Browns' No. 1 receiver.
"All three of them have had excellent springs," Berry said of Concepcion, Boston, and Bond. "The way Denzel and KC have hit the ground running has been impressive. And then Isaiah, with him getting a full offseason under his belt, it's been great to see."
Andrew Berry's praise for three young receivers just raised the stakes for Jerry Jeudy
Berry said that Jeudy was the team's "bell cow" after he drafted Concepcion and Boston. He also said that Myles Garrett would retire a Brown, though. That's the kind of thing teams say to keep the player's value and morale up.
Jeudy is making the most money in the Browns' wide receiver room and should be tabbed as the WR1. But what if the youngsters outplay him? What true incentive should the team have to keep force-feeding him the ball when others put the team in a better position to succeed?
Inevitably, Jeudy will have to be at his best. The Browns can't put all their hopes in first- and second-year players, so the top job remains his to lose. If Jeudy continues to struggle in similar fashion to 2025, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see Todd Monken being to limit his snap counts.
The mere fact that the Browns had to take two wide receivers in the first two rounds of the draft suggested they weren't satisfied with the position group as a whole. That starts with Jeudy. His drops and overall lack of accountability simply won't cut it anymore.
Iron sharpens iron, and adding so many young talents to the mix will only elevate the competition. Jeudy has just as much to prove, and the Browns finally have some wiggle room to get him off the field if needed.
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