Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry promised a “heavy investment” in the team’s young offense this offseason. Selecting two first-round prospects who both won college football’s most prestigious position awards would certainly qualify.
In PFSN’s recent 2026 NFL mock draft from Jacob Infante, Cleveland is projected to select Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano with the sixth overall pick and USC wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 24 — a duo that would immediately address the two most glaring weaknesses on an offense that ranked dead last in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with a dreadful 52.0 grade.
Cleveland Prioritizes Shedeur Sanders’ Supporting Cast
Rather than taking a quarterback with one of their first-round picks, Infante believes Cleveland will roll with Shedeur Sanders under center and then try to maximize his potential by surrounding him with talent.
Fano enters the draft as the consensus OT1 after a dominant junior season that earned him the Outland Trophy, given annually to college football’s best interior lineman.
“Depending on what you look for in an offensive tackle, Spencer Fano might not be your top choice in the 2026 NFL Draft. He is to me, though, and a lot of that comes down to how polished he is,” Infante wrote. “Fano is not the biggest or strongest tackle out there, but he moves incredibly well, thanks to great footwork in pass protection and very nice lateral quickness. He lands his strikes accurately and does a good job of winning with proper pad leverage consistently.”
That technical refinement matters for a Cleveland offensive line that needs immediate answers. The Browns cycled through multiple combinations up front in 2025, and they finished the season as by far the worst offensive line in the league in PFSN’s OL Impact metric with a grade of 49.9. Cleveland ranked dead last in the NFL in pressure allowed (47.3%), average yards before contact (.39), and yards per rush (3.5).
Fano offers day-one starter capabilities with All-Pro upside. The 6-foot-6, 308-pound tackle also brings positional versatility. He started 11 games at left tackle as a true freshman before shifting permanently to the right side as a sophomore, proving he can protect either edge. For a team without a clear long-term answer at either tackle spot, that flexibility provides roster-building options.
As for Lemon, the Biletnikoff Award winner dominated the Big Ten in 2025, finishing with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns — all conference-leading figures. Throughout his collegiate career, he totaled 2,008 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns.
The Browns desperately need exactly what Lemon provides. Jerry Jeudy led Cleveland’s wide receivers with just 602 yards in 2025, and no other wideout topped 350 yards for the season. That lack of separation and production forced Sanders into difficult windows, contributing to his 10 interceptions across his eight games. If the Browns believe in Sanders, this offseason should be about protecting him and upgrading his weapons.
“The Browns would be ecstatic if Makai Lemon fell this far,” Infante wrote. “He has been the most productive wide receiver in the Big Ten in 2025, which is a notable achievement considering the conference’s wealth of talent. He is a sure-handed slot receiver who’s quick after the catch and consistently gets open against both man and zone coverage with sharp breaks and good leverage work through his stems.”
Sanders showed an ability to push the ball downfield — he logged four completions of 50-plus yards in his first three starts, tying Aaron Rodgers for the most such throws by any quarterback in that span since 2000. However, he lacked consistent targets in the intermediate zones where games are won. Lemon’s 502 yards after catch led the Big Ten, and his 50 receptions for first downs tied for first nationally. He finds soft spots in coverage and creates easy completions for his quarterback.
Berry acknowledged after the season that Cleveland’s quarterback situation remains unsettled, saying the team would “do our work on the quarterback market.” But his statement about investing in “a young offense” suggests the Browns may try to build infrastructure around Sanders rather than immediately chase another signal-caller at the top of the draft.
This scenario accomplishes that goal while landing two players who proved all season they belong among the elite at their respective positions. Two picks, two trophies, two immediate starters who fill glaring needs — that’s the kind of heavy investment Berry was talking about.
