ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the Cleveland Browns will use one of their first-round picks to acquire a pass catcher ahead of Shedeur Sanders’ second NFL season.
Kiper’s latest mock draft projects the Browns taking Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano with the No. 6 pick, then using the No. 24 selection to select Georgia wideout Zachariah Branch.
Branch declared for the draft earlier this month after making 81 catches for 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 14 games of his junior season with Georgia.
He had started out his college career at USC, where he amassed 78 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns over two seasons.
B/R NFL scout Damian Parson describes Branch as a YAC threat whose “agility and elusiveness make it difficult for defenders to bring him down in one-on-one situations.”
Parson noted that Branch’s listed size of 5-foot-10 would make him the best fit with a “creative playcaller to maximize his talents.”
It’s not clear yet who will be calling plays for the Browns next season. Cleveland is still searching for former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s replacement, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini recently reported that Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is expected to follow Stefanski to the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s also up in the air whether Sanders, who finished out the 2025 season as starter after the Browns tried Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel at the position, will be back under center in Week 1.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kat Cabot reported earlier this month the Browns planned to “take some time after the season to evaluate Sanders’ seven starts,” and would evaluate whether Sanders was a fit in their team’s next offensive scheme before committing to him as QB1.
How the Browns ultimately approach the draft could depend both on that evaluation of Sanders as well as who the franchise brings in as head coach.
The Browns are currently set to make 10 selections after the 2026 NFL draft begins April 23 in Pittsburgh.
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