The 2026 NFL Draft, which begins on April 23 in the host city of Pittsburgh, is usually considered by many Cleveland Browns fans as their Super Bowl.
For many of those fans, the Browns' teams of recent memory have fallen short of any real chance at getting to the actual big game. Thus, when the NFL season ends, Cleveland fans begin to focus on those all-important draft picks.
The Browns haven’t had the best luck with their draft picks over the years, which is part of the reason the team hasn’t gotten to a Super Bowl yet. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and Cleveland had a very good draft a year ago based on the early returns.
That glimmer of hope has hooked fans into believing that maybe the team can score again in this year’s pending draft.
That Cleveland fan mindset got an even bigger boost recently when Tankathon.com came out with their “Draft Power Rankings,” based on an article from The Harvard Sports Analysis Collective. In this article, they shared a collection of charts that gave value to every draft pick. The higher the draft pick, the more value added to the pick.
New rankings reveal Browns’ massive 2026 draft advantage
In this year's draft, the Browns hold 10 picks, which include the No. 6, 24, 39, 70, 107, 139, 144, 147, 205, and 248. In the Tankathon Draft Power Rankings, that gives Cleveland a hold on the No. 3 overall spot and a draft value of 1,206.0 points. The New York Jets have the No. 1 ranking (1,359.3 points) while the Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 2 spot ( 1,220.6) despite holding the actual No.1 draft pick.
Interestingly enough, the Browns recently cut ties with head coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired by the team with the worst Draft Power Ranking, the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons only hold five picks and don’t have a draft pick until the second round at pick No. 48.
Now that the Browns have hired a new head coach with Todd Monken coming on board, the team will look to add pieces to help it improve. In last year’s draft, the team took two defensive players in the early stages. That included Mason Graham, a defensive tackle, and Carson Schwesinger, a linebacker. Schwesinger was recently named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Cleveland can now look to build up the offense in this year’s draft. The team’s offensive line needs a major overhaul, so look for them to draft a lineman high. They also need support in the pass-catching department, so look for the team to draft a wide receiver or tight end high. Current Cleveland tight end Harold Fannin was drafted in last season’s event and finished off a great rookie campaign with 73 receptions for 731 yards and six touchdowns.