Analyst Warns Browns About Forcing Pick At No. 6

One of the key components for any team in the 2026 NFL Draft is to figure out the worth of the player at hand compared to the value of a similar player later on. The Cleveland Browns are dealing with that difficult equation at both of their positions of need.

The internal debate would be whether the player the Browns take at No. 6, be it a wide receiver or an offensive lineman, would be that much better than a player at that position likely to be available at No. 24. Then, they must also factor in the value of a top prospect who doesn’t play either of those positions, which could change their strategy significantly.

With that in mind, analyst Lance Reisland is warning the Browns about forcing a pick at No. 6, saying they should consider passing on wide receiver Carnell Tate, especially if running back Jeremiyah Love is still on the board.

“I think Carnell Tate is going to be a really good pro. Big body, wins at the catch point, reliable, can line up outside and give you a true boundary presence. No issue with him as a player at all. Where I see it differently is the separation between him and that next tier. When you look at guys like Denzel Boston, Malachi Fields, and Chris Brazzell II, you’re still getting length, catch radius, and outside ability. Maybe Tate is a little cleaner, a little more polished, but it’s not a massive gap for me. If the difference between Tate and that group isn’t drastic, I’m not forcing it at six just to fill a role. I’d rather take the guy who changes the field the moment he steps on it. That’s where Jeremiah Love separates for me. He’s not just another player in a tier. He’s a different type of problem for a defense. He creates space, dictates personnel, and gives you answers in the pass game and run game immediately. So it’s not anti-Tate. It’s just recognizing that tier of long receivers is deep, and the gap between them, for me, isn’t big enough to pass on a true game-changer,” Reisland posted on X.

I think Carnell Tate is going to be a really good pro. Big body, wins at the catch point, reliable, can line up outside and give you a true boundary presence. No issue with him as a player at all.

Where I see it differently is the separation between him and that next tier. When…

— Lance Reisland (Coach Riz) (@LanceReisland) April 21, 2026

Regarding Love, this could all be moot if the Notre Dame star is taken before the Browns’ first selection. Rated by some analysts as the top overall prospect in the entire draft, Love has recently been linked to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 after being the projected choice of the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 for most of the pre-draft process.

However, Reisland’s theory still makes sense for Cleveland. If Tate is not that much better than the wide receivers the Browns could expect to land later in the first round, they should look elsewhere.

That would start at offensive lineman, where the Browns are said to be strongly considering reaching for tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 6. The same reasoning would apply, because if they felt the tackles they could get by waiting would be close enough to what they project from Proctor, they should just take the best player available.

That player may be on defense from a group of Arvell Reese, David Bailey, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs, who, in turn, could cause another team to contact the Browns about making a trade, which may be Cleveland’s most preferred result.