{"id":278140,"date":"2026-04-22T16:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=278140"},"modified":"2026-04-22T16:18:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:18:23","slug":"cleveland-browns-draft-rumors-and-most-common-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/22\/cleveland-browns-draft-rumors-and-most-common-buzz\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Browns: Draft Rumors and Most Common Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> is nearly here. With the first round kicking off tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Browns will dominate conversations in the Steel City. Entering the draft with two first-round picks at No. 6 and No. 24 overall, Cleveland will command a lot of microphone time. GM Andrew Berry has already signaled that the front office views the No. 6 pick as its most valuable asset\u2014one the team can use to leverage this year\u2019s draft, and possibly next year\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Here are the five most frequently discussed rumors involving the Browns as we prepare to enter Day 1.<\/p>\n

1. Trading Down from No. 6<\/h2>\n

Draft analysts have hinted at trading down from No. 6 since the offseason began. With so many roster spots to fill, more dart throws increase the chances of hitting a bullseye. Andrew Berry and the Browns front office have improved each year at assessing talent and value in the draft. With nine total picks in this class, Cleveland can attack the draft in multiple ways. The team could trade down from No. 6, acquire another mid-round pick this year and a first- or second-rounder next year. Then the Browns could package several later picks to move up from No. 70 into the second round or jump from the fourth round into the third. Plenty of talent remains available on Day 2, so if the Browns arrange a scenario to land two first-round picks and possibly four picks between Nos. 33 and 100, they would secure an extensive haul for a team looking to solidify its foundation under new head coach Todd Monken.<\/p>\n

2. Dallas Cowboys<\/a> Keep Emerging as Trade Partner<\/h2>\n

This trade combination has gained steam in mock draft circles. Most recently, Mel Kiper Jr.\u2019s projection has the Browns sending No. 6 and No. 39 to Dallas in exchange for Nos. 12 and 20. This move would give Cleveland three first-rounders to work with. Analysts have also mentioned other suitors like the Chiefs or Rams (my last mock<\/a> of the year has the Rams moving up). But the Cowboys remain the most consistent partner. This trade would give the Browns an additional contractual year on another first-round pick while providing another swing at a player higher than their already-held No. 24.<\/p>\n

3. Offensive Tackle and Wide Receiver Remain Priorities<\/h2>\n

With each passing report from Browns beat writers, they link another wide receiver or tackle to Cleveland in the draft. It makes sense, as these positions represent obvious and glaring needs. At left tackle, questions remain about Dawand Jones\u2019s availability and ceiling. Regarding the wide receiver, the offense cannot become what the team envisions if Jerry Jeudy remains the WR1. Fans will see many of the same names linked to the Browns’ first two picks across the internet. Even if one of the two picks addresses something other than OT or WR, the other will likely target one of those two repeating options.<\/p>\n

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4. Spencer Fano, Kadyn Proctor, and Carnell Tate top the List<\/h2>\n

Kadyn Proctor<\/a> arrived late to the conversation, but his name is generating the most buzz. Fans will likely clamor for the in-state option, Carnell Tate<\/a>. Analysts suggest that Spencer Fano<\/a> represents the best available option at No. 6 overall. To be sure, other names have been linked to Cleveland. For instance, Denzel Boston frequently appears as the pick at No. 24 in many mocks. Jordyn Tyson has also been connected to that pick, but all trends point toward the Giants selecting him at No. 10 overall. No matter which name the Browns actually call for that first pick, some fans will love it, others will loathe it, and everyone will second-guess why the team didn\u2019t choose one of the other rumored players.<\/p>\n

5. Ty Simpson Talk Won’t Go Away<\/h2>\n

The Ty Simpson<\/a> rumors just won\u2019t go away. Even though the Browns have clearly committed their resources to 2027 and plan to see how things play out with the quarterbacks currently under contract, a few analysts still try to force this connection. To be fair, Cleveland probably shouldn\u2019t remove Simpson\u2019s name from the board entirely. If Berry looks up and sees Ty still available in the middle of the second round and decides to spend a little draft capital to move up from No. 70 and select him, can you really fault the GM? Quarterback is the most important position in the game, period. To be clear\u2014I\u2019m not advocating for a move to get him. In fact, depending on the circumstances, I\u2019d likely criticize it in my post-draft grades. However, due diligence forms part of the process, so let the rumor mill do its thing.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/h2>\n

More than likely, one of these rumors will prove true. The Browns will have the chance to move aggressively in this draft. That flexibility brings options that most teams don\u2019t normally enjoy. If Cleveland trades with the Cowboys<\/a> and snags three potential starters on Day 1, the team scores an obvious win. Should the Browns stand pat at No. 6 and select Fano, Proctor, or Tate? Fans would find it difficult to view that choice as poor value. What if Cleveland uses the No. 24 overall pick on Ty Simpson?<\/p>\n

Maybe some rumors are best laid to rest early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NFL Draft kicks off tomorrow night, and speculation about a Cleveland Browns trade will dominate conversations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5786,"featured_media":269073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,8,33761],"tags":[33894,33944,33873,33795],"class_list":["post-278140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-browns","category-mock-drafts","tag-carnell-tate","tag-kadyn-proctor","tag-spencer-fano","tag-ty-simpson"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5786"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278140"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278233,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278140\/revisions\/278233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}