It is almost a foregone conclusion that the Cleveland Browns will leave the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft with an offensive tackle and a wide receiver. After those selections at No. 6 and No. 24 overall, the Browns still have seven picks remaining in the later rounds.
Those include a second-round pick at No. 39, a third-round choice at No. 70, and a fourth-round selection at No. 107. It is within those picks that Cleveland could make another significant addition to its offense.
With veteran tight end David Njoku departing as a free agent, Bleacher Report analyst Alex Ballentine has linked the Browns to three potential targets to address a draft need at the position: Max Klare of Ohio State, Sam Roush of Stanford, and Oscar Delp of Georgia.
“Drafting another one might not be at the top of the priority list, but it would help whoever is playing quarterback next season. Max Klare is used to doing the dirty work of the position. He transferred to Ohio State and was asked to do a lot without getting a ton of targets. Sam Roush and Oscar Delp are considerably further down our big board, but they both have the potential to become strong blockers and reliable pass catchers. Adding a long-term running mate for Fannin in 12 personnel sets is an under-the-radar need that could diversify the Browns offense,” Ballentine wrote.
Klare is the highest-rated player on Bleacher Report’s Big Board (No. 43), so he is potentially going to be available for the Browns in the second round. Last season, his first at Ohio State after playing three years for Purdue, Klare made 43 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns.
Those are impressive numbers when you consider the wide receiver targets who were available at Ohio State, including potential No. 6 overall pick Carnell Tate. By comparison, Tate had 51 receptions last season.
Either Roush (No. 91) or Delp (No. 96) would be a potential third-round or later selection for Cleveland. Roush played four college seasons at Stanford, and last year he posted 49 catches for 545 and two touchdowns. Delp had 20 catches for 261 yards and one TD in his fourth season at Georgia, though he did have seven TDs combined over the previous two years.
Monken and offensive coordinator Travis Switzer worked together on the Ravens’ offense the past three seasons, when it made good use of both Andrews and Likely in the passing game. After adding re-signing Whiteheart and signing Stoll away from the New Orleans Saints to handle the blocking duties, the offense could use another pass-catching tight end to fit the system.
After striking gold with Fannin in the third round of last year’s draft, perhaps the Browns will look to improve the position again this year.
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