As the NFL Combine begins, the Cleveland Browns should be preparing for final evaluations of the 2026 NFL Draft class. The Browns hold not one, but two picks in the first round. Their own pick at sixth overall, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pick at 24th. Cleveland must get these picks right as they look to add talent to an offense that ranked 31st in points per game in 2025.
Offensive talent acquisition is a no-brainer. The question many will ask is whether to target offensive line or wide receiver with the sixth pick. Given this year’s prospects, it’s pertinent that the Browns prioritize wide receiver with the sixth pick.
Why Wide Receiver?
Why must the Browns go wide receiver at pick six? It’s simple.
This year’s draft class is much more talented on the perimeter than in the trenches. There are multiple top offensive line prospects, but there are no blue-chip tackle prospects. Many of the top offensive linemen are projected as guards and centers rather than tackles. Francis Mauigoa, the top offensive line prospect who played tackle in college, is thought to be more of a guard in the NFL, for example.
Taking a projected guard that high in the draft isn’t completely unprecedented, but it’s atypical. The guard position is not as valuable. Looking at the guard prospects in the 2026 class, most are projected to be day two picks, such as Emmanuel Pregnon. Cleveland’s own Joel Bitonio, who was a perennial all-pro player in his career, fell to the second round back in 2014.
Superior Talent
While many of the top offensive linemen in this class have the traits to be exceptional pros in the NFL, the top talent at wide receiver is undeniable. Three prospects have traits that reflect the ability to be a first-option wide receiver in the league: Makai Lemon, Carnell Tate, and Jordyn Tyson.
All three prospects are projected to go high in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and rightfully so. Lemon had the best season statistically, while being viewed more as a slot due to his smaller stature.
Tate has shown flashes in his career as a Buckeye despite never being the first option, leading many to compare him to fellow Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had a similar situation in college and has recently won NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Tyson has the traditional wide receiver build and has been a first-option wide receiver in college, but has a risky injury history.
Regardless of who exactly the Browns land on, they must take one of the top wide receivers in this class.
The Bottomline
The last time the Browns took a top wide receiver was Corey Coleman in 2016. A decade is a long time to go without adding premium talent to a positional group.
While names like Amari Cooper have held down the position in that decade, the Browns are committed to being much younger on offense, and giving whoever the quarterback is in 2026 a young, explosive weapon who can be a true first-option wide receiver is much more important than adding an offensive lineman that may turn into a guard at best.
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