The Cleveland Browns may have played themselves out of contention for the No. 1 pick. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For starters, they need more than just a quarterback, and they might not be able to get Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore anymore. Instead, they should focus their efforts on fixing other things. With that in mind, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports has them taking a wide receiver in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
In his latest mock draft, he has GM Andrew Berry drafting Carnell Tate with the No.6 overall pick:
“Tate is a long strider with a big catch radius and reliable hands who makes contested catches downfield look easy. He flashes quickness and short-area agility to create separation at the top of his route and has the ability to make defenders miss after the catch. His ball-tracking, route-running and ability to operate in space make him a Day 1 impact player at the next level,” Wilson wrote.
Tate has been one of the most impressive pass catchers in college for the past couple of years. As an Ohio State star, he should already have plenty of fans in Northeast Ohio.
The Buckeyes’ star is the type of wide receiver who can make quarterbacks look good because of his insane catch radius. He excels at 50/50 balls, and he just needs the signal caller to get the ball near him; he’ll make the rest.
The Browns are in desperate need of a true WR1 right now. Jerry Jeudy has failed to embrace that role, and given the way he’s struggled for most of his career, it’s hard to believe that’s going to change any time soon. Of course, the quarterback position is still a major concern in Cleveland, and Shedeur Sanders might not be the right guy to lead this team going forward.
That being said, this draft class is more suited to fix the offensive line and finally give whoever is behind center a reliable pass catcher.
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