With the 248th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected tight end Carsen Ryan (6-foot-3 and 255 pounds) from BYU. It’s (hopefully) the final pick the Browns made on Day 3 of the draft, coming in the 7th round. Ryan is also the second tight end that Cleveland selected, as they also added Cincinnati’s Joe Royer in the fifth round.
Ryan Scouting Report
Here is a scouting report from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, who had Ryan as the 18th-ranked tight end prospect on his board in this year’s draft class:
A one-year
starter at BYU (and a starter for two-and-a-half years overall), Ryan was a Y tight end (59.6 percent of career snaps inline) in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s scheme. After stops at UCLA and Utah, he transferred to Provo to become more involved as a pass catcher in his final year of eligibility — and that is exactly what happened. He finished third on the team in targets in 2025 and tied for sixth-most receiving yards (620) among FBS tight ends (ironically, tied with Utah’s Dallen Bentley).
A surprising NFL combine snub, Ryan stands out in both phases as a receiver and blocker. He is an urgent, controlled route runner who feasts underneath against zone coverage, with reliable hands and some creativity after the catch. He is limited by some body stiffness and needs to do a better job with body position to win a crowd. As a blocker, he is both quick and physical with his inline duties to reach, cut off or get outside defenders.
Ryan is more coordinated than explosive and offers an appealing mix of pass-catching talent and blocking toughness. Regardless of where he is drafted, he has the type of talent that sticks on a roster and becomes valuable for an NFL offense.
How Ryan fits the Cleveland Browns
Ryan bounced around during his college days, beginning as a running back at UCLA (2022 and 2023), before transitioning to tight end at Utah (2024) and finishing up at BYU. Unsurprisingly, he saw his numbers go up, and he became more accustomed to the position, and had a tidy 45 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns in his final season with the Cougars.
He apparently can catch and block, always a nice combination in a tight end, and he should have an opportunity to show what he can do this summer as the Browns are not exactly flush at the position after starter Harold Fannin Jr.
React to the Ryan pick
What do you think, Browns fans? Let us know in the comments sections below.
