The Cleveland Browns next attempt to resurrect their franchise from the mire and muck will not include Kevin Stefanski, John Harbaugh, or QB Dante Moore (who has returned to college for another season).
While the team works through their head coach search, GM Andrew Berry has to figure out how they will make a “heavy investment” in the offense.
Berry can add tens of millions of dollars in salary cap space this offseason ahead of NFL free agency, but the 2026 NFL draft, after a very good 2025 NFL draft class, is where the foundation will continue to be laid. Unfortunately for Berry and the Browns, a small number of underclassmen have declared once again.
Just 42 underclassmen have submitted their names, with another 21 having already graduated and decided to put their names in the hat. As NIL has continued to grow, the number of underclassmen has shrunken, overall, in just a few years:
- 2025 – 55
- 2024 – 53
- 2023 – 63
- 2022 – 73
- 2021 – 98
- 2020 – 99
- 2019 – 106
The good news for Cleveland is that its draft classes should have a more immediate impact with older players. The bad news is that the depth and upside of the Browns draft classes may be capped in a year where the team has 10 picks, including an extra selection in the first round.
