ESPN Reporter Turns Heads With Suggestion For Browns At No. 6

The Cleveland Browns have a lot of options heading into the 2026 draft. With nine picks and a pair of first-rounders at their disposal, Cleveland will have the option to get creative like it did in the 2025 draft, or make the obvious decision to take a tackle and a receiver in Round 1 while using the rest of the draft to chase depth.

The need for a tackle and a receiver is one of the worst-kept secrets in football, but you don’t go 5-12 because you only have a couple of needs. David Njoku leaving in free agency created a void at tight end as well, and even though Harold Fannin Jr. had such a spectacular rookie season, this team still needs another tight end.

ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio likes the idea of the Browns addressing that need with the sixth overall pick. He recently stopped by an episode of Baskin and Phelps and tossed out the idea of drafting consensus No. 1 tight end prospect Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon at No. 6.

“If I’m the Cleveland Browns and Todd Monken and I want to try to build this offense into something that it wasn’t last year, and Kenyon Sadiq is sitting there when the Browns pick in the first round. If the Browns are there at [No.] 6 and Sadiq is available, I’d take him. I’d take him right away. You’ve got to create matchup problems on this offense. This guy can do a lot of things for your offense. Just put him on the field and line him up anywhere,” Paolantonio said.

"If the Browns are there at (No.) 6 and (Kenyon) Sadiq is available, I'd take him. I'd take him right away. You've got to create matchup problems on this offense. This guy can do a lot of things for your offense…line him up anywhere."

🚨 ESPN's Sal Paolantonio w/… pic.twitter.com/SV0uQyF7Dk

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 15, 2026

The concept of drafting a tight end sixth overall considering how glaring the needs are at tackle and receiver could be nauseating for some Browns fans. On the surface, they’d be right to feel that way, but the logic behind a Sadiq pick could make some sense and is at least worth considering.

Monken’s offense in Baltimore was heavily geared toward running two-tight-end sets with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, and having Sadiq and Fannin would enable him to do similar things in Cleveland. Sadiq is also faster than most of the receivers in this draft, as evidenced by his ridiculous 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine, so both he and Fannin could comfortably split out wide either in the slot or as an X receiver.

If GM Andrew Berry likes Sadiq’s explosiveness and versatility more than any of the receivers in this class, it’s a creative and sensible pivot that could pay huge dividends. Carnell Tate has been the choice for many analysts, but if the Browns aren’t sold on his upside, keep an eye on Sadiq.