The Cleveland Browns entered the 2025 NFL Draft in need of a playmaking wide receiver. That need wasn't as dire as it felt during this year's draft, though, as Jerry Jeudy was coming off a Pro Bowl season as Cleveland's top wideout.
The offense was often handicapped under Kevin Stefanski, but the defense was rock-solid. As such, some fans hoped the Browns would consider taking Arizona Wildcats star Tetairoa McMillan if they decided to trade back from the No. 2 overall pick.
McMillan was head and shoulders above everyone else in the predraft wide receiver rankings, and he would have been a perfect addition in Cleveland. The Browns ultimately went with defensive tackle Mason Graham after trading back with the Jaguars at No. 5 overall, and while he looked solid during 17 starts as a rookie, McMillan looked like a budding superstar while earning AFC Rookie of the Year honors.
It's hard to blame the Browns for going with Graham. But now that McMillan has cracked the NFL's Top-100 player list after just one season, Andrew Berry deserves credit for aggressively attacking the position in the draft one year later.
Entering 2026, the stakes will be even higher for Cleveland's pair of rookie wide receivers.
KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston now carry even bigger expectations
The Browns added not one but two wide receivers within the first two rounds of the 2026 draft in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. They bring different but complementary skill sets to the table, and they both have an opportunity to be the team's primary weapon right out of the gate.
Boston might be better suited for a workhorse role out of the gate. Like McMillan, he's a big-bodied bully, a ball-winner who can be a perennial mismatch in the end zone and make the most of his physicality to impose his will on the field.
Concepcion might need a bit more time. He has to work on his hands, as he struggled with drops in college, but his technique is solid, and he's already one of the fastest and craftiest wide receivers the Browns have had in recent memory. He could be Cleveland's version of Zay Flowers in Monken's offense, moving all over the formation, and keeping defenses guessing with pre-snap motion.
The Browns finally invested heavily in their offense. It's never too late to right a wrong, and just because McMillan is already a star, it doesn't mean that they made a mistake when they favored Graham and their elite defense at No. 5 overall.
But now that they've seen the difference a player of McMillan's caliber can make from Day 1, doubling down on the position was a wise gamble. If even one of Cleveland's rookies breaks out, this team can silence many people in 2026.
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