These 6 Browns players were impossible to miss once the pads came on at training camp

The NFL offseason is like an epidemic. Fans can’t help but hang on every practice update from April through July, as that’s when the thirst for football really starts to set in.

The problem is that real football doesn’t start until August. The Cleveland Browns, for example, have held countless organized team workouts spanning back to a voluntary veteran minicamp during the week of the NFL Draft. Every single one of those practices, including the mandatory full-squad ones, were conducted in helmets and shorts. Teams aren’t permitted to practice in pads before completing a ramp-up period at the start of training camp.

For head coach Todd Monken and the Browns, that day arrived on Monday — and it was a beautiful sight.

If there was a practice for fans to take seriously, this was it, and more padded sessions will follow as the Browns prepare for their preseason opener at Chicago on Aug. 15. Monken met with reporters prior to Monday’s workout and revealed it would be a run-heavy day with gap scheme installs. He added the defense would “wrap and release” rather than tackle to the ground, which is standard for NFL training camps.

As usual, reports came flooding in as Monday’s practice got rolling. And there were six standouts who were impossible to ignore on Day 1 of pads.

The Cleveland Browns' first padded practice revealed exactly who was ready for the next step

TE Harold Fannin

It’s been a quiet offseason for Fannin, who revealed to reporters ahead of camp that he underwent groin surgery due to last year’s season-ending injury. He missed OTAs and spring minicamp, but promised to be a full-go this summer. 

On Monday, it didn’t matter which quarterback was throwing him the ball. Fannin was “catching everything,” per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. 

The arrow was already pointing up for Fannin after his stellar rookie season. It’s hardly a surprise that once the pads came on, Fannin was arguably the Browns’ best player on the field.

S Daniel Thomas

One of the Browns’ most overlooked free agent additions, Thomas was so noticeable in pads on Monday that Zac Jackson of The Athletic declared, simply: “Daniel Thomas is going to make the team.”

Thomas was expected to carve out a key role on special teams, but he made a significant impact on defense on Monday, rotating in as one of the first defensive backs off the bench. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Thomas excelled with run fits during an 11-on-11 drill. The former Jaguars safety could be a bigger factor for the Browns than fans expected.

WR KC Concepcion 

Fellow rookie Denzel Boston has gotten more attention — and by all accounts, Boston looked good once again on Monday — but Concepcion’s game was always expected to translate best in pads. That was definitely the case. 

Working on the second unit with Shedeur Sanders at quarterback, Concepcion made one of the highlight-reel catches of the day for a deep touchdown over the middle. He looked so good that Jackson stated: “Concepcion and Boston are already miles — galaxies — better than any of the other wide receivers.”

S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

McNeil-Warren was one of the Browns’ most exciting 2026 draft picks after he starred at nearby Toledo. But he had a quiet start to the summer working behind locked-in starting safeties Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman. 

The rookie finally flashed on Monday. Oyefusi highlighted one nice play in pass coverage, breaking in from centerfield on a short pass by Sanders. Jackson also noted that McNeil-Warren looked more comfortable in the defense. Now that the pads are on, Cleveland’s second-round rookie has a chance to start stacking practices together.

DT Mason Graham

Graham has been a wrecking ball all offseason, and that was especially true with him actually able to thump people. He once again was a fixture in the backfield, with Oyefusi sharing a video of him collapsing the entire pocket right in Deshaun Watson’s grill for a sack. He let the offense know about it afterwards, too.

With the relentless Jared Verse — who was reportedly tough to block himself on Monday — Graham could be poised for a monster Year 2.

CB Tyson Campbell

Another somewhat forgotten but extremely solid piece of the Browns’ secondary, Campbell’s sticky man-to-man coverage abilities were on full display. Oyefusi called Campbell one of his three stars of Day 5 along with Graham and Verse.

Labbe posted a video of Campbell cleanly breaking up a pass from Watson to wideout Isaiah Bond. The Browns’ big four in the secondary of Denzel Ward, Campbell, Delpit, and Hickman should keep Cleveland’s defense formidable, especially with the line’s ability to pressure the quarterback.

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