The last overall pick in the NFL Draft is annually given the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant,” and a big deal is made of that unique honor, including a week of festivities that includes a parade and a trip to Disneyland. However, each team also has its individual last pick in the draft, and those players don’t get anything close to that kind of recognition.
In fact, it’s very easy for them to be overlooked. However, the Cleveland Browns believe they have found a potentially useful player with their seventh-round pick, which was their 10th in total at the 2026 NFL Draft. At No. 248 overall, just nine spots away from Mr. Irrelevant, the Browns selected BYU tight end Carsen Ryan.
The Browns rookie said he has something to prove at the ongoing minicamp, and he plans to give it everything he has to overcome his late-round status.
“Just finding the things that help you be successful. I was a late draft pick, so I got to go out, I got to figure out what I need to do. First one in, last one out. I’m doing more than other people will and just kind of mentally get the playbook down. Just the little stuff like that that just builds up over time,” Ryan said.
Asked #Browns TE Carsen Ryan what he hopes to take from rookie minicamp:
"I was a late draft pick, so I got to go out, I got to figure out what I need to do. First one in, last one out. I'm doing more than other people will and just kind of mentally get the playbook down." pic.twitter.com/na5jGIGKKn
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) May 8, 2026
Ryan was the second tight end the Browns added in the year’s draft, following their fifth-round selection of Joe Royer of Cincinnati at No. 170 overall. They are each considered better pass catchers than blockers and could help ease the departure of veteran fan favorite David Njoku as a free agent.
They also may be a pivot from the Browns’ original plan of adding a blocker to complement Harold Fannin Jr. in two-tight end sets. However, potential targets Oscar Delp and Will Kacmarek came off the board in the third round, much earlier than Cleveland reportedly anticipated. Cleveland actually traded up to select offensive tackle Austin Barber at No. 86 overall, one pick before Kacmarek was taken by the Miami Dolphins.
So, Ryan has a good chance to make an impression. His college position coach, Kevin Gilbride, was a former NFL head coach with the San Diego Chargers and won the Super Bowl twice as offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
Gilbride said he believes Ryan will be a perfect fit for the Browns’ passing game, and if that turns out to be true, the rookie will be far from an irrelevant player in Cleveland.
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