There’s a lot for fans of the Cleveland Browns to feel good about fresh off the 2026 NFL Draft. Over the course of three days, their team was among the most active, swinging six separate trades while using eight of their 10 total selections to address critical roster holes on offense.
In the first round, the Browns traded back and selected offensive tackle Spencer Fano with pick No. 9 overall. In Round 2, they traded up to No. 58 to steal talented safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Later, they traded out of the third round entirely — only to move back up to No. 86 overall for another offensive lineman in Austin Barber.
The overall haul for GM Andrew Berry and the Browns has immediately earned stellar grades from top analysts and platforms. But that’s not even the best part. These next few days will be all about celebrating the new talent that Cleveland just added to its roster, but the Browns’ dream draft scenario wasn’t just a class headlined by Fano and what could be four-plus Week 1 starters for this 2026 season.
The best-case scenario was always to add high-end talent capable of affecting the roster like the Browns’ 2025 draft class, while scouring the league for the pieces no GM was giving up easily this year — 2027 draft capital.
The Browns didn’t just win the draft. They set themselves up for what comes next
The NFL Draft has become such a major event that fans and analysts alike can’t help themselves. The 2026 draft class could be good, but the group projected to come out in 2027 could rival any in recent memory.
As FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz reported ahead of the draft, there was “a lack of interest from teams in moving high 2027 picks.” Unlike the past two years, the 2027 quarterback class is expected to be incredibly deep, led by Texas’ Arch Manning and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. From wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman, to defensive stars like Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore and Georgia’s Ellis Robinson IV, there’s premium talent to be had, and the more draft capital teams have in the bank, the more likely they’ll be to cash in.
Through that lens, the hidden value behind the Browns acquiring 2027 fourth-round picks from the Giants and Seahawks over the weekend cannot be overstated. Cleveland already owned extra fifth- and seventh-round picks in that draft from the Houston Texans, and they’ll now enter the next phase of their offseason program with 10 projected picks total, including three in Round 4.
Cleveland Browns 2027 NFL Draft picks
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 4 (via Giants)
- Round 4 (via Seahawks)
- Round 5
- Round 5 (via Texans)
- Round 7
- Round 7 (via Texans)
The way-too-early mock drafts will almost certainly link the Browns to a quarterback, and that will only continue until the team can prove it can win with one of the four current QBs on the roster. But the first of the Browns’ six trades on draft weekend says it all. The Kansas City Chiefs sent Cleveland third- and fifth-round picks to move up three spots, from No. 9 to No. 6, in the first round. The Browns were happy to add that extra capital to their board in a move that set the tone for their entire 2026 haul.
Those mid-round selections — especially fourth-rounders — make for perfect trade assets. And whether Cleveland’s targeting a Day 1 quarterback or a replacement for one of their aging stars on defense a year from now, the hidden value from Berry’s most underrated moves from draft weekend could end up making the difference.
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