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Which Browns Players Are the Biggest Winners From the NFL Draft?

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Apr 24, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns first round draft picks Spencer Fano, left, and KC Concepcion hold their new jerseys during an introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
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Not all players on a team’s active roster, including the Cleveland Browns, are losers when it comes to adding new talent in the NFL Draft.

For some, additions across the roster can make their job significantly easier. When it came to the Browns’ offense, that was clearly the case. The franchise brought in some much-needed reinforcements on that side of the ball.

The Browns spent eight out of their ten total draft selections on the offensive side of the ball. This included their top three selections at nine (via a trade back with the Kansas City Chiefs), No. 24, and No. 39. With these selections, the Browns added Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano, along with receivers KC Concepcion of Texas A&M and Denzel Boston of Washington.

Will these players pan out in the NFL? Time will tell, but with this much young talent added means plenty of promise for Cleveland’s offense going forward and more help for the rest of the core.

More Support for Browns’ Starting QB

As of late, the biggest issue for any quarterback for the Cleveland Browns has been the decline in performance from the offensive line.

While the Browns did bolster their offensive line through free agency, the orange and brown used their top pick to lock down the most important position: left tackle.

The Browns added Fano, the first tackle to be selected in the entire draft. Fano was not only a top target for Cleveland, but the team considered him to be of high character and a key part to building their locker room moving forward.

Improvement on the offensive line, along with bringing in more pass-catching options like Concepcion and Boston, sounds like a recipe for success. Whether it be Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson, the hope for Browns’ fans is that this recipe is correct.

Relief for Jerry Jeudy

Jerry Jeudy had a down year in 2025 for the Cleveland Browns, finishing with his fewest receiving yards since 2021. That said, there’s hope for him in 2026.

While the additions of Concepcion and Boston may muddy the waters in terms of the number of receptions to go around, they also take attention away from Jeudy.

Jeudy was the main receiving option at the receiver position for the Browns in 2025, often facing tighter coverage due to the lack of talent around him. A more bolstered receiving room may make it easier for Jeudy to have a bounce-back campaign.

Helping the Returning Running Backs

The entire Cleveland Browns’ running back room arguably had the most to gain, or lose, in this year’s draft.

Fano plus Cleveland’s free agency additions at the offensive line should, in theory, help the run game with better blocking. Where the running backs truly won was in the fact that the Browns didn’t add to their room.

Just last year, the Browns added two running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. While Judkins’ role is safe as the top back, Sampson and other depth pieces, like Raheim Sanders, could have been pushed further down the depth chart.

Instead, the Browns opted not to take a running back with any of their 10 draft choices. The team essentially gave a vote of confidence to Judkins and the current depth chart at the position by not adding to the room and giving them the room to grow in year two with the team.

Hopefully, the Browns are correct in not only their bet on their current running backs, but the 2026 draft class as a whole.

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Written by
Noah Olson

Noah Olson is a Northeast Ohio native and lifelong Cleveland sports fan. He graduated from The College of Wooster with a major in Communications and has been sports writing since 2024. As a writer for The Lead, Noah brings a blend of local pride and an insider’s perspective, focusing on thoughtful analysis and storytelling rooted in Cleveland sports culture.

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