{"id":655962,"date":"2026-01-05T13:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/655962\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:16:12","slug":"browns-2026-nfl-mock-draft-1st-mock-of-the-offseason-goes-off-the-rails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/655962\/","title":{"rendered":"Browns 2026 NFL mock draft: 1st mock of the offseason goes off the rails"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Browns made things very interesting both for the future of HC Kevin Stefanski<\/a> and for the 2026 NFL draft order<\/a> with two straight victories to end the season<\/a>. The expectation is that Stefanski and the Browns will part ways, potentially early Monday morning, but that is not certain, and the future in Cleveland\/Berea is still more of a mystery than anything.<\/p>\n

For now, the Browns have the sixth overall pick and await the postseason fate of the Jacksonville Jaguars to see where that selection falls. The Jaguars pick would have some value for moving up in the NFL draft<\/a> if the team decided it was worth it.<\/p>\n

Given the likelihood of both top quarterbacks, Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore, if they come out, being off the board, and questions about whether any of the offensive tackles or wide receivers will grade out as Top 10 level prospects, a trade down for the Browns seems very possible. That is exactly what we did today, using Pro Football Network\u2019s Mock Draft Simulator.<\/a><\/p>\n

Browns Trade Down NFL Mock Draft<\/p>\n

Received: Pick #18, 49, 82, and Vikings \u201827 1st round pickSent out: Pick #6, 149<\/p>\n

While there were quality players, including S Caleb Downs, available, none that would be valued that high and playing what is a premium position (QB, OT, WR, DE, CB). Instead, Cleveland cleans up with Minnesota\u2019s top three picks and their first-rounder next year to hedge some bets at the quarterback position or to add more high-quality talent.<\/p>\n

Round 1 – OT Caleb Lomu, Utah<\/p>\n

Trading down and still coming away with a starting left tackle is a huge win for the Browns.<\/p>\n

Round 1 – QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

An exciting quarterback who could rocket up the charts in the predraft process<\/a>, if he declares.<\/p>\n

Round 2 – WR Chris Bell, Louisville<\/p>\n

A great all-around prospect coming off an ACL injury, lucky for him to fall here, as teams are less and less worried about current injuries in making long-term decisions.<\/p>\n

Round 2 – OT Blake Miller, Clemson<\/p>\n

With an extra pick now in the second round, Cleveland\u2019s tackle spots are now secure along with a top-flight receiver and an exciting quarterback prospect<\/p>\n

Round 3 – DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Ohio State<\/p>\n

Continuing to give Myles Garrett running mates, including Jackson who can move around the formation, is key to continuing the dominance of the defense.<\/p>\n

Round 3 – WR De\u2019Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

This pick is a combination of getting ahead of Stribling\u2019s likely rise during NFL draft season and pairing him with Chambliss again. Bell and Stribling will really up the receiver group.<\/p>\n

Round 4 – CB Tacario Davis, Washington<\/p>\n

Even if Martin Emerson re-signs, the cornerback room will need some reinforcements.<\/p>\n

Round 5 – OL Jaeden Roberts, Alabama<\/p>\n

Round 5 – S Earl Little Jr., Florida State<\/p>\n

Continuing to build the offensive line and bringing in the son of a former Brown to help on special teams is a good use of Day 3 picks.<\/p>\n

Round 6 – DT Chris McClellan, Missouri<\/p>\n

Round 6 – LB Arion Carter, Tennessee<\/p>\n

Round 7 – S Jakobe Thomas, Miami<\/p>\n

Depth for the defense will be huge. A few one-year veterans will likely love to come on board to join Garrett\u2019s squad, but young guys for special teams and development are important.<\/p>\n

What do you think of the trade down and the resulting Browns Mock draft?<\/p>\n

Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Cleveland Browns made things very interesting both for the future of HC Kevin Stefanski and for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543037,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,4397,75798,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-655962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cleveland-browns","8":"tag-browns","9":"tag-cleveland","10":"tag-cleveland-browns","11":"tag-cleveland-browns-draft","12":"tag-cleveland-browns-mock-drafts","13":"tag-clevelandbrowns","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115842684469367607","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/543037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}