The tide began to turn back in April, when general manager Andrew Berry showed strong command of the draft board and put together a rookie class that left experts drooling for the second straight year.
But the floodgates are fully open now. It’s one thing for the 5-2 Cleveland Browns to finally be getting some love in AFC North power rankings. It’s another thing for the Browns' roster to be the envy of Steelers fans.
With the Browns and Steelers set to square off for the second time in five weeks, this time at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, it’s impossible not to see the discrepancy in young talent. Judging by each team’s unofficial depth chart, Cleveland has nine players drafted in 2025 and 2026 either starting or playing a full-time role on offense and defense; the Steelers have about half of that number.
For Steelers expert Tommy Jaggi of Still Curtain, the position group that's stinging the most is wide receiver.
The Browns invested a pair of premium 2026 draft picks in wideouts KC Concepcion (No. 24 overall) and Denzel Boston (No. 39). Through seven games, Boston has three touchdowns and an impressive 18.6 average yards per reception. Conception is fresh off his biggest game as a pro with eight catches for 129 yards. Both players are over 300 yards receiving on the season and are contenders for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Steelers passed on both players in the 2026 draft, instead targeting guard Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick. As Jaggi wrote, the Steelers could’ve used the same draft-day energy that Berry and company brought to the table. They haven't used a first-round pick on a wide receiver since Santonio Holmes in 2006.
“With 10 selections in the 2026 draft, including three third-round picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers had more than enough firepower to land a pair of receivers inside the top-40 picks of the draft—and KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston were both on their draft radar,” Jaggi wrote. “This Browns receiver pairing could prove lethal for years to come, and the Steelers will get another taste of that this Sunday. Let's hope we don't have draft regrets after this Week 8 AFC North matchup.”
Cleveland's recent draft success is starting to reshape the Browns-Steelers rivalry
It’s not that the Steelers don’t have young talent. They actually ranked No. 11 overall in average offensive roster age at 25.9.
The question right now is whether they have the right young talent on that side of the ball as their defensive roster continues to age. Pittsburgh’s average defensive roster age for 2026 was 26.71, 31st in football.
Average NFL roster age entering the 2026 season (sorted from youngest to oldest) pic.twitter.com/h74Tm35Dnu
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 6, 2026
The Browns aren’t asking those questions right now. They have the NFL’s second-youngest offensive roster, with rookies Concepcion, Boston, left tackle Spencer Fano, and right guard Austin Barber already entrenched as starters. Two of their top 2025 draft picks, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and running back Quinshon Judkins, are also front-line players for head coach Todd Monken.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh actually have a lot in common. Both teams continue to latch onto veteran quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers. Both teams continue to hang their hat on defense, with their true game-changers on that side of the ball.
With all due respect to Concepcion and Boston, the Browns are going to go as far as linebacker Carson Schwesinger — another recent draft bullseye by Berry — and cornerback Denzel Ward take them.
Where these teams differ is overall roster age. Cleveland ranks fourth in the NFL on that list, behind the Dolphins, Chiefs and Titans. The Steelers rank 22nd, which is an uncomfortable place to be when you consider how much the Browns have closed the gap in their longstanding rivalry; the Browns just beat Pittsburgh on Oct. 1 and are playing for their first series sweep since 1988 on Sunday.
Steelers fans are well aware, too, which gives the matchup a little extra juice this time.
“It’s frustrating watching the Browns solve their wide receiver issue by aggressively pursuing the position in the draft, unlike Pittsburgh has done in two decades,” Jaggi lamented, “and with players the Steelers could have had.”
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