The NFL Draft is always a bit of a crapshoot, no matter how much people want to believe that certain teams or general managers have unlocked the secrets.
But one area that might provide a window into how a team can succeed is its culture.
That is according to Tim Derdenger, an associate professor of marketing and strategy at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, who argues that while data is important, having a draft room built on authenticity is the key:
“The real goal is building a room where authenticity isn’t just welcomed—it’s expected. If people censor themselves, you’re no longer making decisions with full information. Once your scouts start playing it safe with their reports, you’ve already lost. You’re essentially heading into the draft with a blind spot. The danger isn’t just one bad decision. It’s the accumulation of poor decisions over time.”
The Cleveland Browns are certainly well aware of the consequences of accumulating poor decisions when it comes to drafting or trading for players. One “big swing and a miss” or the wrong draft pick at the wrong position can set a franchise back for years.
But that may have started to change this weekend as general manager Andrew Berry added 10 players in the 2026 NFL Draft. Starting with left tackle Spencer Fano in Round 1 and ending with tight end Carsen Ryan in Round 7, Berry hit several areas of need on the roster and continued the transformation of what was one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season.
No one knows how a draft class will pan out, and they certainly do not know on the morning after the draft ends. But grading a draft class is part of the fun, so let’s take a look at what the national media thinks of the work that Berry did over the past three days.
The Browns came into Thursday with two first-round picks (thanks to last year’s trade with the Jaguars, so Jacksonville could go up to No. 2 for Travis Hunter) and two big needs. Would they go receiver at No. 6 and offensive tackle at No. 24? OT at No. 6 and WR at No. 24? Or would they completely shake things up and entertain a trade?
They ended up going OT-WR … and then hitting both positions again on Day 2. The Spencer Fano and Austin Barber picks could be the final touches on a complete offensive line rebuild this offseason. The Browns had 14 different offensive line combinations play at least 10 snaps last season, third most in the NFL. Then … everyone was gone. Wyatt Teller signed with Houston, and Cam Robinson, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, and Ethan Pocic are all still unsigned. In their place, Cleveland traded for Tytus Howard, re-signed Teven Jenkins, and brought in Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson, in addition to getting Dawand Jones back from a knee injury.
But this team needed a left tackle, and Fano could be a solution. He has spent the past two seasons on the right side, but he was an LT in 2023. He stays square to pass rushers and has pop in his hands, but 32⅛-inch arms might ultimately force a move inside. I love that Cleveland was able to trade back, add picks, and still get one of the top two tackles in the class. Barber made the opposite change, going from the right side to the left during his college career. He’s a great run blocker, but he gets beaten by power a lot in pass protection at 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds. I thought there were better options out there, and Cleveland having to trade up to get him made this pick a little questionable.
At receiver, the Browns landed two of my top eight guys in the class. I have concerns about KC Concepcion’s drop issues (seven last season), but he has a nose for the end zone (25 career TDs) and averaged 15.1 yards per catch last season. I said Denzel Boston would have been the right pick in Round 1 … and Cleveland got him in Round 2. Even though I would have flipped these two players value-wise, the Browns ended up with two really talented pass catchers. That’s critical. The Browns’ WR room was at the bottom of the NFL in receptions (117), yards (1,467), and TDs (four) last season. Boston takes defenders out of the play with his 6-4 frame and routinely makes tough catches on balls thrown too high or too low. Like Concepcion, he had a healthy YPC in 2025 at 14.2, and he scored 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
The major defensive addition was Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Just sheer value — my No. 33 prospect at No. 58. Take him out of Toledo and put him in a Power 4 uniform, and maybe he goes a little earlier. But I’m not worried about the quality of competition. He flies to the football and generates turnovers (10 forced fumbles, five interceptions).
Among the Day 3 picks, Parker Brailsford and Taylen Green stand out. Brailsford is yet another option for the offensive line, with more than 2,400 snaps at center over his career. And while the Browns don’t need any more quarterbacks quantity-wise, Green is an explosive player who ran a 4.36 and jumped 43½ inches in the vertical jump at the combine. He needs to work on his accuracy, but he has a big arm and a lot of attributes.
The Browns received an A-plus from me last year, and the class lived up to expectations. Carson Schwesinger was Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. were the main catalysts of the offense, but all seven picks chipped in at some point during Year 1. I don’t know that Cleveland’s 2026 group of draft picks will have the same impact, but this is another good group that should have Week 1 roles. Another good draft weekend for the Browns.
General manager Andrew Berry and his staff took an aggressive approach to wheeling, dealing, and stockpiling picks while filling multiple needs. They got a Day 1 starter in Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano (No. 9 pick) and two potential difference-making wide receivers in KC Concepcion (24th) and Denzel Boston (39th), who should complement each other nicely. From there, they added pieces that can help in their secondary, additional offensive line reinforcements, a tight end, and an intriguing quarterback prospect in Arkansas’ Taylen Green.
The Browns were one of the biggest winners of this entire draft, scooping up value every time I looked up. I loved what they did in the first round, trading back a few spots with the Chiefs before landing a tough, athletic offensive tackle in Utah’s Spencer Fano. Fano helps address a big need for the team and gives them flexibility up front, with experience at both left and right tackle. GM Andrew Berry then turned to the receiver position with his next two picks, nabbing my 14th-ranked player in KC Concepcion at no. 24 overall before landing my 19th-ranked player in Denzel Boston at no. 39 overall. Cleveland later moved up early in the second round to the 58th overall pick to secure my 25th-ranked player in safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The combination of deft maneuvering and overall value gained makes this a potential home-run class for Cleveland.
The Browns found a potential starting tackle early in Round 1, grabbing the athletic, versatile Fano in spite of his lack of ideal length. They also met their need for a receiver and returner by snagging the explosive (if inconsistent) Concepcion with the first-round pick received from Jacksonville in the Travis Hunter trade last April. Cleveland found great value on Friday night, as well, taking hard-hitting safety McNeil-Warren in Round 2 and the athletic, stout Barber in Round 3. The icing on the Browns’ Day 2 cake was trading the third-rounder acquired from the Chiefs for two fourth-rounders this year and a 2027 fourth from the Giants.
Brailsford is undersized but tough in the pivot. I loved the decision to pick Jefferson in Round 5. He finds the ball in the open field and is not afraid of contact. Royer is a good pass catcher who strengthens the Browns’ tight end corps. Green arrives in a crowded quarterback room, but he was worth a sixth-round pick.
Fano was a good start to the draft to help rebuild the offensive line, and GM Andrew Berry followed up well with Barber a little later. McNeil-Warren was a falling start that had to be caught for the defense. Concepcion and Boston fill huge needs, but that’s putting a lot on them together, given Concepcion’s concerns with hands and Boston’s worry with speed.
Cleveland wanted to come out of the first round with an offensive lineman and a receiver, and it did just that. And then it repeated the feat on Day 2.