{"id":865550,"date":"2026-04-13T14:23:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865550\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T14:23:31","slug":"browns-draft-5-draft-risers-cleveland-could-select-in-the-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865550\/","title":{"rendered":"Browns Draft: 5 &#8216;Draft Risers&#8217; Cleveland Could Select in the 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"submission-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Cleveland%2C+OH&amp;city=Cleveland&amp;type=Update+Existing+Story&amp;headline=Browns+Draft%3A+5+%27Draft+Risers%27+Cleveland+Could+Select+in+the+2026+NFL+Draft&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Foh%2Fcleveland%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F13%2Fbrowns-draft-5-draft-risers-cleveland-could-select-in-the-2026-nfl-draft%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69dcf256ba621.jpg\" alt=\"A fragmented, geometric painting in Browns colors depicts the chaotic energy of the NFL draft, with overlapping shapes and planes representing the multifaceted process of evaluating and selecting top prospects.\" width=\"1344\" height=\"768\" class=\"news-image\"\/>A cubist illustration captures the complex dynamics of the NFL draft, where teams must navigate a shifting landscape of talent and potential to build a championship roster.Cleveland Today<\/p>\n<p>The Cleveland Browns&#8217; future largely depends on finding a competent quarterback and whether star pass rusher Myles Garrett remains with the team. While the quarterback class is considered weak, ESPN highlighted five &#8216;draft risers&#8217; the Browns could target, including offensive tackle Monroe Freeling, safety Jeff Thieneman, offensive tackle Olu Iheanachor, wide receiver Jeff Caldwell, and running back Kobe Kpeenu.<\/p>\n<p>        Why it matters<\/p>\n<p>The Browns need to find talent across the roster, especially on offense, to support their defensive core led by Myles Garrett. These &#8216;draft risers&#8217; could provide immediate impact at key positions of need like offensive line, wide receiver, and running back.<\/p>\n<p>                The details<\/p>\n<p>Monroe Freeling is a highly athletic offensive tackle prospect from Georgia who impressed with his fluidity and ability to recover against inside pass rushers. Jeff Thieneman is a versatile safety from Purdue and Oregon who opened eyes with his combine performance. Olu Iheanachor is a massive offensive tackle prospect from a small school who scouts believe has significant upside. Jeff Caldwell is a tall, speedy wide receiver who could provide a red zone threat. Kobe Kpeenu is a consistent, physical running back from North Dakota State.<\/p>\n<p>        The 2026 NFL Draft will take place in late April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>          The players<\/p>\n<p>          Myles Garrett<\/p>\n<p>A star defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.<\/p>\n<p>Monroe Freeling<\/p>\n<p>An offensive tackle prospect from the University of Georgia who impressed with his athleticism and ability to recover against inside pass rushers.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Thieneman<\/p>\n<p>A versatile safety prospect who played at both Purdue and Oregon, and turned heads with his combine performance.<\/p>\n<p>Olu Iheanachor<\/p>\n<p>A massive offensive tackle prospect from a small school who scouts believe has significant upside due to his size, mobility, and 83-inch wingspan.<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Caldwell<\/p>\n<p>A tall, speedy wide receiver prospect who could provide a red zone threat for an NFL offense.<\/p>\n<p>Kobe Kpeenu<\/p>\n<p>A consistent, physical running back prospect from North Dakota State who averaged 5.3 yards per carry over his college career.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Cleveland%2C+OH&amp;city=Cleveland&amp;type=Upload+Story+Photos&amp;headline=Browns+Draft%3A+5+%27Draft+Risers%27+Cleveland+Could+Select+in+the+2026+NFL+Draft&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Foh%2Fcleveland%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F13%2Fbrowns-draft-5-draft-risers-cleveland-could-select-in-the-2026-nfl-draft%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a><br \/>\n                What\u2019s next<\/p>\n<p>The Browns will continue to evaluate prospects and prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft, which will take place in late April.<\/p>\n<p>          The takeaway<\/p>\n<p>The Browns have several needs to address in the 2026 draft, and these &#8216;draft risers&#8217; could provide immediate impact at key positions like offensive line, wide receiver, and running back to complement their defensive core led by Myles Garrett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist illustration captures the complex dynamics of the NFL&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865551,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[86,85,54,2337,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-865550","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-clevelandbrowns","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116397861041701383","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865550","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=865550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}