The Cleveland Browns entered the 2026 NFL Draft as somewhat of an open book. By the time the Las Vegas Raiders were officially on the clock to kick things off on Day 1, it was well known league-wide what GM Andrew Berry preferred to do at pick No. 6 overall.
The Browns’ ideal situation was to trade back, bank some additional draft capital for their rebuild, and still land one of the top offensive tackle prospects on their board (or maybe a wide receiver if the deck fell a certain way).
The execution on that front couldn’t have been better in hindsight. The Browns executed a trade down to No. 9 overall, still landed the first offensive lineman off the board in Utah’s Spencer Fano, and essentially flipped the additional picks coming back from the Kansas City Chiefs into another tackle prospect they were high on in Florida’s Austin Barber.
Cleveland’s long-term vision for what has been a massive undertaking to overhaul the O-line is about as predictable as its draft-day game plan. Fano is already set to enter training camp as the Browns’ starting left tackle. Barber should be in the mix at both right guard and swing tackle, with a long-range goal of developing into the team’s eventual bookend to Fano on the right side of the line.
A recent poll of anonymous NFL scouts, executives, and coaches should have Browns fans buckling in for a potentially long road ahead, though.
Based on the findings released over the weekend by insider Jeremy Fowler, the NFL clearly has a type for one of the most important position groups in football. ESPN’s top 10 offensive tackles include three players in their mid-to-upper 30s in Trent Williams (37), Lane Johnson (36), and Garrett Bolles (34). Two others, Laremy Tunsil (31) and Jordan Mailata (29), are also seasoned vets on their third or fourth contracts.
“Many top-shelf players, some well above 30, are years out from their last contract. It will take young stars to change that,” Fowler wrote. “Two of our top 10 offensive tackles here are still on rookie deals. In all, three players debuted on the list this cycle. The battle for supremacy once again featured two NFC stars in their primes, though a 37-year-old is also keeping himself in the conversation.”
The Cleveland Browns' pair of rookie tackles face an uphill climb to NFL relevance
Offensive tackle is considered a premium position for a reason. It’s extremely rare for a rookie to step in as a true difference-maker in Year 1. Only two first-year tackles have been named All-Pro over the NFL’s last 10 seasons: former Browns starter Jack Conklin, then as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2016, and the Chargers’ Rashawn Slater most recently in 2021.
Cleveland passed on last year’s deep tackle class that produced several Year 1 starters, including Will Campbell, Armand Menbou, Kelvin Banks, Josh Simmons, and Josh Conerly. The only player in that group that received a vote in ESPN’s poll was Membou, a top-10 pick by the New York Jets, but his inclusion was more of a footnote in Fowler’s report.
What the data screams is that the tackle position takes time and patience. Browns fans may need to remind themselves of that while watching Fano this fall.
Fano was widely viewed as one of the top offensive linemen in the 2026 class, but he wasn’t a consensus slam-dunk prospect at left tackle. He played exclusively on the right side opposite Caleb Lomu over his final two seasons with the Utes, and there was some pre-draft speculation on him potentially moving inside to guard in the NFL.
Barber enters camp in a similar spot, as he’ll likely see the bulk of his training camp reps at both right tackle and right guard. Barber was a member of the Florida Gators for five years and was their starting left tackle from the 2023 season on.
The Browns could field an entirely new starting five up front relative to last year. It’s very possible that things don’t click immediately out of the gate.
Browns fans should probably give their new franchise left tackle a long leash as he finds his footing. If Fano comes out and dominates at an All-Pro or even Pro Bowl level this year, he would already be entering rarefied air in terms of recent NFL history.
If he struggles? No one should be hitting the panic button, as the tackle position tends to bloom a bit later than other core position groups like cornerback and wide receiver.
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