With the 2026 NFL Draft now complete, the Cleveland Browns have generated a lot of buzz from their impressive talent haul. The praise is well deserved, but it also forms part of a larger plan that GM Andrew Berry has built. After a 5-12 season that left some observers with more questions than answers, the Browns delivered a weekend that did more than fill needs. It advanced a multi-year plan that will fast-track them into contention for the AFC North crown.
Andrew Berry has earned a reputation as one of the league’s sharpest talent evaluators. He has also quietly become one of the best at spotting the true value of a pick before the selection happens. Case in point: he traded back from No. 6 overall to No. 9 and still landed his targeted player. Berry correctly read how the board fell in his favor and how it would develop between the sixth and ninth picks. By assessing the board accurately, he gathered extra picks while still securing his top choice. This kind of maneuvering maximizes the entire draft class’s potential.
Cleveland’s Plan
The Browns entered this draft with a clear focus on the offensive side of the ball. After directing most of their 2025 selections toward defense and skill-position depth, they turned their attention to the trenches and perimeter weapons. When you also consider that Cleveland could take another quarterback early in 2027, this draft sets the table perfectly. Spencer Fano is a scheme-fit tackle whom the Browns’ analytics department rated extremely highly. They returned to the offensive-line market in the third round to select Austin Barger and again in the fifth round to pick Parker Brailsford. Together with the free-agency signings of Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson, and Elgton Jenkins—plus the re-signing of Tevin Jenkins—the team has resolved its biggest concern for the 2026 season while building a strong foundation for the future.
Pair those moves with the back-to-back wide receiver selections of KC Concepcion at No. 24 and Denzel Boston at No. 29. These additions bring not only high-upside talent but also likely immediate rookie contributions. They also create flexibility with Jerry Jeudy’s contract. These selections let Cleveland rely on the younger receivers already on the roster—Isaiah Bond, Cedric Tillman, and possibly Jamari Thrash—so the team can evaluate them properly as key pieces for 2027. With Harold Fannin already emerging as a tough matchup for defenses at tight end, the Browns further strengthened that room by adding Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan for depth.
These measured, targeted offensive moves establish a solid foundation. Whichever quarterback is under center moving forward is instantly in a better position.
Berry Consistently Targets Value
And while the emphasis was obviously to prepare for the future on offense, Andrew Berry was still able to add value on the defensive side by recognizing a sliding talent and trading back into the bottom of the second round to snag Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. This is a move that possibly netted a starting safety on the back end of the defense for years to come. Then, in the fifth round, knowing that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah may not be available for an extended amount of time, Cleveland added Justin Jefferson to the linebacker group. This is a player with speed and open-field ability similar to the style that JOK brought to the defense. When the top of the sixth round hit, Berry had the opportunity to take a value swing at a young quarterback with a unique skill set that brings extreme upside to the quarterback room in Taylen Green. This immediately makes Dillon Gabriel—a player who is not a good scheme fit for Todd Monken—expendable.
The Browns’ Future
The thread that runs through all of this is 2027. The Browns added another fourth-round pick for that draft class and now have 10 total picks, with multiple selections in the fourth, fifth, and seventh rounds. If Cleveland comes away from 2026 with the same kind of high-level results as 2025, those Day 3 selections are going to provide the necessary depth to possibly sustain them through 17 games in pursuit of an AFC North title.
Compare this approach to other recent multi-season rebuilds that have worked. The Detroit Lions were able to reshape the future of their franchise through the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes. They stacked the offensive line for Jared Goff and gave it depth. Then they added weapons to work with and defensive counterparts to close out games. Or the Philadelphia Eagles, where Howie Roseman consistently found ways to draft high-value players at OL, WR, and EDR. This opened up the middle rounds for him to go after scheme-specific depth. Even the Kansas City Chiefs can be viewed as a similar model. They got their window open and kept it that way for multiple seasons, built off the draft. Granted, they solved the most important position in the sport. But they also were able to correctly identify solid talent with upside at whatever pick they had.
The throughline with all of these examples is the same. Understand the value of the pick and utilize it in the best manner possible.
The Last Word
The Cleveland Browns obviously are not there yet. Until they know for sure they have the quarterback position solved in the simplest of manners—a game-manager that doesn’t give games away—they will be on the outside of contention looking in. However, the last two draft classes are a clear indication that they have a plan. This is something that shouldn’t just be glossed over or assumed that all franchises do. Cleveland was a rudderless ship for many, many years. The idea that they have a direction, in and of itself, is an extremely positive development.
Now, put that together with the fact that Andrew Berry is becoming a master at manipulating the board. Understanding the value of the pick and maximizing it is becoming his calling card. The Browns’ future may have never looked brighter since the return to Cleveland.
