Harold Fannin Jr. was something of a revelation for the Cleveland Browns this season. As a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it was hoped that the rookie tight end would be able adapt to the league and make some contributions to the offense as the year went along.
Fannin did much more than that. He quickly emerged as the Browns’ top receiver and led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdown catches.
Now, his role in the offense might get even bigger. Veteran tight end David Njoku has declared his intention to leave as a free agent, which means Fannin will likely be given more responsibility in new head coach Todd Monken’s offense.
With that in mind, Fannin was recently compared to Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates by former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer.
“The thing that makes me feel confident is I thought Harold Fannin Jr. is a star in the making. I think Fannin Jr. is like an Antonio Gates, but a little bit faster. [Fannin and Njoku] are kind of the same type of player. You can now make Fannin the primary target,” Hoyer said.
"I thought Harold Fannin is a star in the making. I think he's like an Antonio Gates but a little faster. They're the same kind of player but now you can make Fannin the primary target."
📞@bhoyer7 on David Njoku leaving, making Harold Fannin officially TE1 pic.twitter.com/AxArsmvBGb
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) February 10, 2026
If Fannin can become anything close to what Gates was during his career with the Los Angeles Chargers franchise, the Browns will have found an all-time draft steal. Gates famously came to football late, and the former college basketball player went on to play 16 NFL seasons with 955 catches for almost 12,000 yards.
Fannin, for his part, posted record-breaking numbers while in college at Bowling Green, which did not play a powerhouse schedule. That means the 21-year-old likely has even more untapped potential and a higher ceiling than anyone realizes.
He should get plenty of opportunities in Monken’s new offense. As the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens for the past three seasons, he made great use of tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
The Browns likely saw a similar future tandem of Fannin and Njoku, but that will no longer be the case. Though it can be argued that having both of them on the field gave Fannin freedom he would not have had otherwise, he will no longer have to compete for targets at the position and can become even more of a focal point, as he was late in the season when Njoku was injured, and Shedeur Sanders was the quarterback.
The future is bright for Fannin, and who knows, maybe it will include the Hall of Fame someday.
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