The midpoint of the season is when rookie evaluations start to mean something. Eight games give scouts and analysts enough film to see which traits have translated, which flaws have followed players into the NFL and which early flashes were real. For first-round picks, those grades carry extra weight. One Browns rookie came out of his midseason review looking like exactly what Cleveland hoped it was getting.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports graded every first-round pick from the 2026 class after 8 weeks and gave Spencer Fano an A-.
“Cleveland appears to have found its long-term answer at left tackle. Fano’s footwork, balance and ability to recover against high-end edge rushers were some of the reasons I liked him so much coming out of Utah. And even though he’s moved from right to left tackle for the Browns, he’s doing a lot of the same things really well,” Wilson wrote.
The position change is what makes the grade stand out. Fano did much of his work at Utah on the right side, and switching to left tackle in the NFL means reversing his footwork and his hand placement while facing many of the league’s best edge rushers. Plenty of rookies struggle with that adjustment, but Fano has handled it well enough to earn one of the best marks in the class.
His grade also compares well with the picks around him. Washington Commanders linebacker Sonny Styles, taken 7th, earned an A+, while New York Giants guard Francis Mauigoa, taken 10th, got a C+ as he adjusts to moving from tackle to guard. New Orleans Saints receiver Jordyn Tyson, taken 8th, received an incomplete because of ongoing injuries, which could matter when the Browns visit New Orleans on Sunday.
Fano’s numbers back up the grade. Pro Football Focus named him its Rookie of the Week after the win over the Tennessee Titans, when his 92.4 run-blocking grade led all offensive tackles. Through 7 games, he ranked 11th among 83 qualifying tackles with a 76.9 overall grade and had allowed just 1 sack.
The Browns have been searching for stability at left tackle since Joe Thomas retired, and finding a starter with the 9th pick would anchor the line for years.
There is still work to do. The Browns allowed 8 sacks in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the whole line will need to bounce back in New Orleans. Rookie tackles also tend to have uneven stretches as defensive coordinators study more of their film.
Still, the bigger picture is encouraging. Fano is part of a young core that includes Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion and Harold Fannin Jr., and he is quickly becoming one of the most dependable pieces of it. If he keeps developing, the Browns may not have to worry about left tackle for a long time.
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