To start the NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns continued to add impressive young talent. They still need the most important piece, but whoever their quarterback of the future ends up being will step into a good situation.
Cleveland made some strong picks early in this year’s draft, which follows up a strong 2025 rookie class. If the 2026 draft class is as good on the field as it looks on paper, Cleveland might finally be onto something in what seems like a never-ending rebuild.
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The Browns had a fantastic draft last year. They got contributions from defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger, running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. All seven picks played roles and had success, to varying degrees.
This year, the Browns had a smart first round. They traded down from No. 6 to No. 9, picking up extra picks, and still got a top offensive lineman off the board, tackle Spencer Fano. That filled a major need. Later in the first round they took playmaking receiver KC Concepcion, then they doubled up at receiver early in the second round with Denzel Boston. He’s a typical big X receiver and Concepcion can play from the slot and move around; the two should complement each other well.
With Fano, Concepcion and Boston, new Browns head coach Todd Monken has immediate help for his offense. Just to make sure the defense got some help, the Browns made a smart pick with Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round. Many thought McNeil-Warren could have been a first-round pick, but the devaluation of safety pushed him down a bit. He should be an excellent player on a defense that is already pretty good. The Browns rounded out their Day 2 picks by hitting the offensive line again, taking Austin Barber from Florida.
Of course, there’s still one big hole. Even though the Browns had Gabriel and Sanders start games last season, and they each had moments in which they played well, it doesn’t look like either is the long-term answer at quarterback. For some reason the Browns might try Deshaun Watson again, but it has been a long time since he was a viable NFL starter. The Browns will have a close eye on the 2027 quarterback draft class, which is expected to have many first-round worthy players.
If Cleveland can get the quarterback right by the end of the 2027 draft — this is the Browns, and getting the quarterback position right has been impossible for almost three decades — then something might be cooking.
Here are the winners and losers from day two of the NFL Draft.
Jonathan Greenard and the Eagles’ defense: The Eagles weren’t able to come close to the four-year, $120 million deal that edge rusher Jaelan Phillips got to leave Philadelphia for the Carolina Panthers this offseason. But they did invest in a depressed asset.
The Eagles traded a pair of third-round draft picks, one this year and one next year, to the Minnesota Vikings for edge defender Jonathan Greenard. He had just three sacks last season but 24.5 sacks the two seasons before that. Greenard will be 29 years old next season so there’s risk at that age, but the Eagles were fine making the gamble. It’s easy to trust their track record on those types of moves.
They also made one of the best picks of the second round, grabbing tight end Eli Stowers. He’ll be added to the offense along with first-round pick Makai Lemon.
The Eagles made some strong moves all around early in the draft.
De’Zhaun Stribling: He wasn’t expected to go ahead of some other receivers in the class like Denzel Boston, but he was the first pick of the second round. And he landed in a fantastic spot.
The Ole Miss product went to the San Francisco 49ers, who know some things about offensive football. Stribling will take an immediate role in an offense that will trade or cut Brandon Aiyuk, doesn’t seem interested in bringing back Jauan Jennings, and has to have injury concerns about Ricky Pearsall and also tight end George Kittle as he comes off a torn Achilles. Stribling was a surprise to go as high as he did, and he landed in a spot in which he can be immediately productive.
The Texans’ defense: Houston’s defense was scary last season. And it got better on Friday night.
The Texans took advantage when Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald slipped to the second round, and picked him with the 36th overall pick. McDonald was considered a first-round prospect, which is the reason he was invited to the green room in Pittsburgh for Thursday night. McDonald had an emotional reaction to finally being drafted on Friday night, and the Texans should have been overjoyed too.
Houston will again have a top-five defense in the NFL. Its offense is still a work in progress, but there are no questions about the defense. McDonald should make it even better.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans had a lot of work to do as they started a new era with head coach Robert Saleh.
They’re off to a good start. The Titans spent a lot of money in free agency to upgrade the roster, then have added some more good players in the draft. Receiver Carnell Tate seemed like a reach at No. 4 overall, but he can play. Then the Titans added two defensive players at good value, Auburn edge defender Keldric Faulk in the late first round and Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the third. All three picks could start right away in Tennessee.
There are still plenty of gaps to fill, but the Titans have had a strong offseason.
Jermod McCoy: If McCoy was healthy he might have been the CB1 in this class. The actual CB1, Mansoor Delane, went sixth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. That should give an idea of how high McCoy could have gone.
But McCoy wasn’t healthy. He tore his ACL training in January 2025, and that completely changed his draft stock. He was still considered a potential first-round pick based on talent, but he slipped out of the first round and slipped Friday night too.
In the second round, cornerbacks Colton Hood, Avieon Terrell and D’Angelo Ponds went with McCoy still on the board. It was similar to last season, when Michigan’s Will Johnson fell into the second round due to medical concerns. It was clear then that McCoy would keep falling, but it was still shocking to see him go undrafted in the third round too.
Given the optimism about McCoy coming into this draft (he was 16th overall on Yahoo Sports’ consensus big board), that slide had to hurt. He will presumably be drafted Saturday and have a chance to become a top-end cornerback in the NFL with whoever takes him, but that won’t erase the disappointment of falling out of the first two days of the draft.
Carson Beck and the Cardinals: The history of quarterbacks drafted in the middle rounds isn’t great. Sure there can be a Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott or Russell Wilson, but generally the hit rate is very, very low.
And it’s not like the Arizona Cardinals deserve the benefit of the doubt.
The Cardinals have a lot of holes and will probably be drafting early in 2027, when they can take their quarterback of the future in a deep class. But the Cardinals used the first pick of the third round, 65th overall, on Carson Beck. He helped Georgia and Miami win a lot of games, but his flaws are a reason he fell out of the first two rounds.
Maybe this will be an exception and the Cardinals found their next starting quarterback on a discount. Beck has skills but Arizona isn’t known for developing quarterbacks, though new head coach Mike LaFleur could do well at it. And that pick could have been used on a player who could help the QB who will likely be the Cardinals’ first-round selection next year. Maybe Beck will be a great investment, but the odds are against it.
Drew Allar and the Steelers: All that above about Beck and the Cardinals? Repeat it here for the Steelers’ third-round pick of Allar.
The Penn State QB has some good traits but the odds of him going the way of most mid-round quarterbacks are much higher than of him replacing Aaron Rodgers as Pittsburgh’s quarterback of the future. Nothing says the Steelers can’t hit the mid-round quarterback lottery with Allar, but history says they’d have been better off using the pick on another position.
Washington Commanders offense: There was nothing wrong with Washington drafting linebacker Sonny Styles in the first round. He was the right pick.
But the Commanders had to know it would be a long time before they got Jayden Daniels any help. And he needs it.
The Commanders didn’t have a pick in the second round. They took wide receiver Antonio Williams out of Clemson in the third. They could use some offensive line help too and maybe even another running back. Most of their offseason moves have been geared toward fixing a defense that also needed help. That’s meant the offense just gets the leftover resources.