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ESPN- Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun.
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ESPN Staff Writer- Covered the Broncos for two seasons with the Denver Post
- Graduate of the University of Houston
- A native of Jackson, Miss.
It's late October, and the Cleveland Browns (4-2) are in first place in a wide-open AFC North, positioning them as potentially one of the best stories in football through six weeks.
The young Browns have assumed the defiantly passionate and infectious personality of their coach, Todd Monken. And thanks to back-to-back impact NFL draft classes, this upstart team is on a path to competing for a division title.
"The Browns are the Browns? F--- that," as Monken exclaimed after a Week 2 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Browns players have rallied behind a mentality of not letting teams bully them and redefining how people speak about Cleveland football. Buzz around the league, per sources, is that this build has the early feel of a new, different Browns era.
"Everybody obsesses about QB, but it absolutely matters what environment you place a quarterback in. Look at the Browns, young team, looks like two straight strong drafts," one AFC assistant general manager told ESPN. "If they keep developing that talent next year, we're going to say that's a real good environment for a young QB."
Over the past two draft classes, eight of the Browns' 10 picks in the first three rounds are starters on the 2026 roster. A ninth, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, plays a key third safety role and stepped in for starter reps after Grant Delpit's concussion Sunday. And rival league executives are raving about the Browns' draft classes.
One AFC personnel director chimed in: "EMW [McNeil-Warren] was my guy."
It turns out a lot of the Browns "guys" were in demand, but Cleveland's front office, led by general manager Andrew Berry, plus assistant GMs Glenn Cook and Catherine Hickman, did the work and those picks are performing on the field.
Armed with the pressure and responsibility of executing the draft-and-develop strategy, the Browns' top three-round draft selections have already shown signs of immediate success.
"When you talk to Andrew Berry, it's almost like talking to a computer," one longtime NFL executive who knows Berry well told ESPN. "He's structured. He's detailed and programmed. He does a great job articulating that with ownership. He's responded with strong drafts.
"The challenging part is it takes a stomach to stick with it. Sometimes, the head coach, general manager or both don't last through that pain. But you must give credit to that whole organization for standing strong through Berry's plan, and you see it paying off."
The Browns have had 2,802 total snaps from their 2025 and 2026 draft picks this season, which ranks only behind the Miami Dolphins (3,348).
Two massive trades -- dealing defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams and facilitating the Jacksonville Jaguars' draft day trade up for two-way star Travis Hunter -- helped Cleveland replenish several high picks it lost trading for Deshaun Watson in March 2022. And the team has even more draft capital in 2027, with two first-round picks and 11 total selections.
Berry made clear to ESPN in August that the Garrett trade did not change Cleveland's timeline toward winning, but the offer was "too good to pass up."
"You think about it like we get three or four good players and $20-30 million saved from trading Myles. Now, you're giving up a great player in Myles. We think that's worth it," Berry said. "You never go into a season expecting to have as big of an impact of rookies that we did last year. That's unusual. We'd never expect to duplicate that immediate production with this group. But we're happy and optimistic about the guys we have."
Fast forward to October and there are indicators that Berry and his team have talented young players on offense. Denzel Boston (pick No. 39) leads all NFL rookies in receiving yards (345) while wide receiver KC Concepcion (pick No. 24), left tackle Spencer Fano (pick No. 9) and right guard Austin Barber (pick No. 86) all play key starting roles.
Here's a look at what is starting to become foundational classes from the Browns' past two drafts:
Offensive playmakers: RB Quinshon Judkins, TE Harold Fannin Jr., RB Dylan Sampson, WR KC Concepcion, WR Denzel Boston
The Browns' offense has struggled with slow starts, but their offensive skill position players have flashed in their young careers. Boston has quickly established himself as the team's most reliable pass catcher. His 6-foot-4 and 215-pound frame has made him a prototypical "X" receiver in Monken's scheme.
"Boston was a great pick. We loved Boston; he was our No.1 WR in the draft," one NFC general manager told ESPN. "The size, physicality. People were just scared of the speed. That was a great pick. They've done well using him to his strengths."
Boston, Concepcion (186) and Fannin (166) rank 1-2-3 in receiving yards on the team. Last season Judkins (pick No. 36) led all NFL rookie running backs in rushing before sustaining a season-ending right ankle injury and fractured fibula in Week 16. Neither he nor Sampson (pick No. 126 in 2025) played in Cleveland's Week 6 win against the Baltimore Ravens because of injury, but both are expected to return to the lineup soon to lead the Browns' backfield.
Defensive pillars: DT Mason Graham, LB Carson Schwesinger, S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Cleveland's defense hasn't skipped a beat without Garrett or former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and their recent draft picks have played a big role.
Schwesinger, the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and the Browns' No. 33 pick, made the play of the game against the Ravens, forcing a fourth-quarter fumble of running back Derrick Henry that led to a Browns touchdown. Already regarded as one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL, Schwesinger looks like a star.
Graham, whom the Browns drafted with the No. 5 pick after trading back from the No. 2 slot with the Jaguars, recorded four sacks before a sprained MCL and ankle sidelined him the past two games.
McNeil-Warren's snaps were increasingly weekly before Delpit's injury, and he is a de facto starter.
Starting offensive linemen: LT Spencer Fano, RG Austin Barber
Two rookies make up a new-look offensive line for the Browns. One was expected, while another came as a surprise. Fano quickly earned his role in training camp as the franchise's left tackle. Barber was drafted after spending his college career (Florida) at tackle, but in the middle of camp, the team experimented with Barber at guard. He excelled in the summer, and an injury to Teven Jenkins opened the pathway for Barber to start, which he hasn't relinquished.
Fano has recorded run block win rates and pass block win rates in the 8th and 6th percentiles, respectively, for tackles, according to ESPN Analytics and NFL Next Gen Stats. Barber has fared better, recording run block win rates and pass block win rates in the 50th and 68th percentiles, respectively. Both rookies have contributed to an overall improved offensive line in 2026.
TBD roles: C Parker Brailsford, LB Justin Jefferson, TE Joe Royer, TE Carsen Ryan
Brailsford, a 2026 fifth-round pick, entered camp as a potential option to start at center, but a wrist injury derailed him. He has been inactive for all but one game. Jefferson, another 2026 fifth-round pick, has appeared in two games, contributing solely on special teams.
Ryan, a seventh-round pick this year, has played on special teams and been used sparingly as a No. 3 tight end.
Royer, a 2026 fifth-round pick, missed all of camp and has been on the non-football injury/illness list because of undisclosed personal reasons.
QB questions: QB Dillon Gabriel, QB Shedeur Sanders, QB Taylen Green
Though Watson has engineered four game-winning drives this season, his contract expires after the season. His prior struggles and injuries led Cleveland to select three quarterbacks in the past two drafts.
Gabriel and Sanders, both 2025 picks, started a combined 13 games as rookies, but neither did enough to merit consideration as the long-term answer at the position. Sanders lost the QB competition to Watson in this year's training camp and has been serving as the backup. Gabriel opened the regular season on injured reserve because of a back injury but returned to practice two weeks ago.
Though Cleveland once again has a crowded QB room, the team appears poised to keep all four passers, including Green, a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft. An uber-athletic but raw passer, Green has spent the first six games of the season as the third, emergency QB on game days.
It remains to be seen what the Browns have in any of the young quarterbacks, but as the aforementioned executive said, Cleveland's young core is looking more and more like the steady infrastructure needed to develop a passer.