Browns 2026 NFL Draft Grades: Is Shedeur Sanders Done in Cleveland?

The 2026 NFL Draft is done and dusted, and we are barreling towards training camp for all 32 teams in football.

But before we set sail on the summer, it’s time to put on the grading hat and tell you how teams did during the three-day spectacle in Pittsburgh.

No matter what the Cleveland Browns do, until they find a quarterback that they can truly call “franchise,” then nothing else they do will matter.

Myles Garrett had one of the most impressive single-seasons ever by a defensive player, and the Browns were still an afterthought.

Could things change come 2026?

Only time (and probably more QB signings) will tell.

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Best Pick: Denzel Boston 2.39, WR (Washington)

Boston was projected by a majority of pundits as a consensus first-rounder, but the 6-foot-4 pass catcher fell to day two and got scooped up by a team that desperately needs talent out wide.

Boston, along with the pick up in the first round of Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, gives the Browns some actual, reliable weapons for their quarterback to throw to in deep waters.

Now, if they could actually settle on a quarterback, that’d be great.

Most Interesting Pick: Taylen Green 6.182, QB (Arkansas)

Green might be one of the most athletically gifted QBs taken in the past decade, but when it comes to actual throwing mechanics, he might be one of the worst.

No, the Browns have already stated they won’t try to find a new position for the athletic Green and see him as a signal-caller.

And no, they aren’t going to trade Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders to make room for Green.

And also no, Deshaun Watson is still going to be on the roster and have a chance to start in 2026.

If it wasn’t the Browns, this would be incredibly confusing, but because it’s Cleveland, it almost makes sense.

Overall Grade: A-

If the Browns could steal Joe Burrow magically from the Cincinnati Bengals, this team could be a contender in the AFC.

The problem is that the Browns don’t have a magic wand, and their QB room, all four of them combined, might not be as good as a true elite signal-caller in the NFL.

On paper, it’s a great draft, but it also, once again, highlights the franchise’s greatest weakness: a lack of a leader on the offense.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 7:23 PM.