CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns GM Andrew Berry has been adamant about one thing since the start of the offseason.
“On the offensive side of the ball, we looked and we felt like we had a number of young, pillar, cornerstone pieces, but we envision a world where that side of the ball is going to have pretty significant turnover over the next several months,” Berry said earlier this month at Todd Monken’s introductory press conference.
In that way, it’s not surprising that there’s an early mock draft consensus when it comes to the Cleveland Browns and what they might do in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Browns have two first-round selections: Their own at No. 6, and the Jaguars’ pick at 24 that they acquired in last year’s draft by trading down from No. 2 to No. 5 overall.
Just about every mock currently out there has Cleveland taking some combination of offensive tackle and receiver with those two picks.
The most popular name at No. 6? That’s Utah tackle Spencer Fano, who started each of the last two seasons at right tackle.
“The Browns should be hoping one of the top offensive tackles is available to them at No. 6,” NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah wrote in his latest mock draft. “Cleveland snags Fano to start from Day 1.”
Tankathon also has Fano mocked to the Browns, the second tackle off the board behind Miami’s Francis Mauigoa.
Field Yates of ESPN also had Fano going to the Browns at 6 in his most-recent mock, writing, “The Browns have major work to do along the offensive line this offseason, and Fano would provide them a tackle to build around. He is an extremely talented player who started the past two seasons at right tackle.
“Fano has light and nimble feet to match and mirror edge rushers, which contributed to him allowing zero sacks this past season and only one the year before. He will need to add more mass to his frame, but he’s got the starter kit to be a standout right tackle in the NFL. The Browns gave up 51 sacks last season, seventh most in the NFL.”
What makes Fano interesting is that nimbleness, but the gamble is in the fact that he “lacks ideal proportional build,” as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote.
There’s also speculation largely because of his build, if he would be actually more well-suited for the inside of the line at the NFL level. NFL.com also gave him a 6.44 prospect grade, pegging him to be a good starter within two years — albeit, a middle-of-the-pack number for what would be a top-six pick.
But the fact remains that the Browns and new head coach Todd Monken are facing significant turnover on their offensive line.
Four of the five Week 1 starters in left guard Joel Bitonio, right guard Wyatt Teller, center Ethan Pocic and right tackle Jack Conklin, are free agents. The lone returner, tackle Dawand Jones, suffered a season-ending injury for the third consecutive season.
Bitonio, the longest-tenured member of the team, is also mulling retirement. The void date of his contract was just pushed back to March 11 in order to allow him more time before making a decision.
Teller posted a goodbye to social media on Wednesday, signaling his departure.
The lone draft that didn’t have the Browns taking Fano in order to help ease some of those woes in the trenches was Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, who had Andrew Berry doing one of his other favorite things: Trading back.
In this deal, the Browns moved back to 12, swapping picks with the Dallas Cowboys, and land a receiver: Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.
The brother of Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson, Jordyn is one of the top receivers in this year’s draft class and had 711 yards and eight touchdowns on 61 catches for Arizona State last season.
Edwards came back to the O-line at No. 24 for Cleveland, however, mocking Monroe Freeling of Georgia to the Browns, who he pegs as a “developing option for blindside protection.”
Freeling was also the pick in Jeremiah’s mock draft, who said, “This draft would be a big success for the Browns if they landed two starting offensive linemen, as they do in this scenario with Freeling joining Spencer Fano. If Dawand Jones stays healthy, I think Fano could play inside.”
Yates and Tankathon both had the Browns adding to the receiver room at 24 with Washington receiver Denzel Boston. He averaged 14.2 yards per reception with 11 touchdowns and 881 yards on 62 catches.
His size, few drops and ability in the red zone are huge pluses.
“After addressing offensive tackle with their first pick, the Browns could stick to offense and take a wide receiver,” Yates wrote. “Boston has excellent size (6-foot-4, 209 pounds) and is super fluid in his route running, allowing him the flexibility to operate out of the slot. He is a true red zone threat, with 20 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons, tied for the third most in the FBS.
“Good things happen when the ball is thrown Boston’s way, as he posted 13 contested catches in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He has been credited with only four drops on 209 targets in four collegiate seasons.”
With the NFL Combine next week, there’s bound to be much more chatter about how much help the Browns will need on their O-line and among their pass catchers.
What is clear already is that Berry wasn’t exaggerating when he talked about turnover. Whether it’s Fano at No. 6, a trade back, or some other offensive-heavy combination, the Browns are staring at a draft that could reshape the core of their offense in a hurry.
The Combine will only sharpen the picture, but the direction already feels obvious: Cleveland is going to spend April rebuilding the offense from the inside out.
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