This 2026 NFL draft, slated for April 23-25, is a crucial day for the Cleveland Browns. Last year’s new crop of rookies was a tremendous boost to the roster. But it has to continue. A team can’t kill it one year and then bring in a bunch of flops the next.
Last year, the “NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year” plus another three Browns rookies made the NFL All-Rookie Team. Heck, there was even a Pro Bowl quarterback in last year’s draft. GM Andrew Berry had a great draft, and now, he needs to slay it in the weeks
ahead.
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There are quite a few Browns podcasts to listen to each week. Some are live while others are taped, edited, and then broadcast on a certain day and time so that regular listeners can keep up with the latest news of their favorite NFL team.
Here at Dawgs by Nature, we are a cluster of listeners to these podcasts. Occasionally, we are invited as guests and discuss the issues, problem areas, latest roster signings, and, of course, the upcoming draft.
Each draft is important. Sure, getting guys in free agency fills immediate holes on the roster, but these veteran signings are no certainty to come through. Sometimes, it is a scheme issue with their former club; their method and coaching system allowed the athlete to flourish. Then, they go to a new team and usually make more money, but because the format and plan are divergent, the new guy struggles.
With the Browns, think Juan Thornhill, Dalvin Tomlinson, or Andrew Sendejo.
Which got us to wondering: What is the opinion of these Browns podcast hosts regarding who Cleveland will select in the first round?
These folks do research just like us as writers. They have opinions, stats, and hunches just like everyone else. And they put their thoughts and reasoning out there every week in front of an audience to be vindicated or crucified for their thinking.
So, we gathered some of our favorite Browns podcast hosts and asked them to predict who the Browns will draft at pick #6, and in a Part 2 segment, who Berry and Company will select at the #24 pick. And then, we wanted to know why they chose that particular player over other athletes that could very well be taken instead.
Now Berry is a trader, and it would be no surprise to anyone if he traded out of either first-round draft pick, but for these two articles, we are drafting straight up without the bother of any trade predictions.
The talking heads predict which player the Browns will select with the #6 overall draft pick.
Let’s draft! Battle of the Browns podcasts!
At the Office – A Cleveland Sports Show
Hosts: Noah Olson and Erik Williams
Twitter: @TheOfficeCLE
Round 1, Pick #6
Our pick: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Monroe Freeling has been the great draft riser for the 2026 NFL draft, which makes sense as he plays a premium position at left tackle. Freeling brings sufficient size, standing at 6′-7″ and weighing 315 pounds. Only 21 years of age, Freeling has the tools to be a Day 1 starter, while still having ample room to grow into a true franchise player. Freeling only played one year as a starter at Georgia, and did suffer a high ankle sprain, which is a sticking point for some scouts despite not missing games due to the injury.
While some view Freeling as a reach at pick #6, we don’t subscribe to that mindset. Freeling plays a premium position at left tackle that is only getting harder to find, whether that be in the draft or the veteran market. Monroe is the highest-ranked true left tackle, and while many see names such as Francis Mauigoa as better prospects, that could be at the guard position, not the tackle. When you mix the rarity of left tackle talent with the depth of this wide receiver class, it is a no-brainer to grab tackle first and early.
The Browns Blitz Podcast
Hosts: Rod Bluhm and Jeff Bluhm
Twitter: @TheBrownsBlitz
Round 1, Pick #6
Our pick: Carnell Tate, WR, The Ohio State University
It has been 10 years since the Cleveland Browns selected Corey Coleman with the 15th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. Sashi Brown took Coleman with the first of his 14 picks and drafted three additional receivers in later rounds (none of which had meaningful NFL careers by the way). Since then, multiple regimes have applied band-aids to the wide receiver position with no one taken higher than the 91st pick.
It’s time to correct all of that with a legitimate alpha receiver in Carnell Tate. While his numbers at “The Shoe” don’t scream WR1, he is by far – in our opinion – the most pro-ready and impactful receiver in this class. Plus, he would immediately be the first offensive weapon that opponents have to game plan for since Josh Gordon flashed in 2013.
We don’t care about “slow” 40 times or being overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith (who wouldn’t be?). We’re also willing to look past the glaring need at left tackle because teams win in the NFL by scoring points, something this organization has been woefully inadequate at in recent memory. A truly dominant “X” receiver, and not another slot guy, is the missing ingredient in an effective offense. It enables proper evaluation of the constant stream of quarterback prospects who come through Cleveland’s revolving door.
The Dawgs Podcast
Hosts: Blake Reneker, Justin Charles, Kenny “Mac” MacDonald, and Josh Aul
Twitter: @TheDawgsPodcast
Round 1, Pick #6
Our pick: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State University
With the sixth-overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns should, in our opinion, select Carnell Tate, wide receiver from Ohio State.
Anyone who’s watched the Browns during the Andrew Berry tenure knows the wide receiver room has always been a weak unit that’s received minimal investment. It’s time to finally start changing how we approach this premium position on the roster.
Tate immediately becomes the Browns’ WR1. At 6’-2” and 195 pounds, Tate displayed everything you want from a top receiver during his final season at Ohio State. In 11 games, he caught 51 passes for 875 yards and 9 touchdowns. While the surface-level stats are fine, it’s the deeper analytics that show how impactful this guy truly is.
He caught 12 of 14 contested catch opportunities, good for a class-leading 85.7%. His average depth-of-target was 14.6 yards down the field, and he posted a 3.02 yards-per-route-run (one of only three receivers over 3.00 Y/RR in this class). And he did all that while dropping exactly ZERO passes all season.
I know people want to pile on his 4.52 40-yard dash time at the Combine, but a lot of the NFL’s top receivers ran times in the 4.50 range: CeeDee Lamb (4.51), Amon-Ra St. Brown (4.51), Mike Evans (4.53), Davante Adams (4.56), and Puka Nacua (4.57), just to name a few.
So, what makes those receivers so successful in the NFL? It’s all about creating separation with route running, nuance, and introducing doubt into the defender’s mind. That’s exactly how Tate plays the game, and the way he wins usually translates well to the NFL level.
And from a team perspective, the Browns had just 3,152 receiving yards in 2025 (2nd-fewest in the NFL). 731 of those yards came from rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and another 954 yards came from other tight ends and running backs. That means the Browns receivers collectively accounted for just 1,467 total yards. Pathetic.
My only question about Carnell Tate is whether or not Andrew Berry is willing to invest high draft capital into the position. Over six seasons, the largest investment the Browns GM has made at wide receiver was flipping a mid-second round pick to the Jets for Elijah Moore and a third.
That doesn’t exactly instill confidence that Berry will suddenly start taking the position seriously. But if it were up to me, I would not hesitate to add Carnell Tate to this roster.
Untitled and Unfiltered Browns Talk
Host: Quincy Carrier
LINK: BROWNS SPORTS TALK WITH QUINCY CARRIER
Twitter: @Kwen_C
Round 1, Pick #6
My pick: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
While I believe it is the Browns’ desire to trade back into the early teens this year, I think they are having a difficult time manufacturing the kind of market they want for that move. This brings us back to the months-old debate: OT Monroe Freeling or WR Carnell Tate?
This reminds me of an old sitcom trope: a dad goes to a used car dealer to find a sensible vehicle, but the dealer tries to talk him into a less practical, “cooler” car. Freeling is the practical choice; he is what this team needs most. Since franchise left tackles are so hard to come by, he is worth the reach.
Tate is the flashy two-seater with a tiny trunk in the front. Being an Ohio State receiver, Browns fans can watch his highlights and hope he makes the Browns feel more like the Buckeyes on Sundays. But the reality is that Tate is an impractical pick for the Browns at #6. He is a high-level prospect, and in the right situation, he could be awesome.
He thrives in the deep and intermediate parts of the field and needs a high-caliber quarterback to be truly effective. In my opinion, the Browns simply don’t have the QB room to justify picking him that early. Instead, the Browns should keep an eye on someone like Makai Lemon, whose skill set offers a lower barrier of entry for immediate production.
Ulterior Motives Sports Podcast Network
Hosts: Marcus Donald, Kristy Acuti, Theral Pettway, James Tucker, Pete Barker, and Jordan Wheeler
LINK: ULTERIOR MOTIVES SPORTS PODCAST
Twitter: @MrDeacon74
Round 1, Pick #6
Our pick: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State University
It’s that time of the year when every sports analyst, newscasters, and Mel Kiper and company try to predict every NFL’s top draft pick. Some are on the money, while some are way off base, but we try to make sense of a truly unsensible situation.
The Cleveland Browns are in a good position to take an impact player at the #6 pick. We don’t like saying a team has holes at a position; more like the team needs a serious upgrade at that position. One of the Browns’ needs is a complementary wide receiver at the sixth pick, and we would take Carnell Tate from Ohio State.
Let’s face it. Ohio State is a wide receiver farming house, with the likes of Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is now the highest-paid WR in the NFL. Ohio State also has two more receivers in the Top-10 highest paid in Terry McLaurin and Garrett Wilson, rounding out this position.
So, let’s look at the stats and truth behind GM Andrew Berry’s thought process. Berry does not value receivers as top NFL draft picks and has NEVER taken a wide receiver before the third round. Those picks yielded the Browns, Anthony “STONE HANDS” Schwartz, and David Bell (who retired early after a medical mishap). I’m chuckling to myself right now. We would love for Berry to finally see the error of his ways and take an offensive weapon like Tate, but we seriously doubt it.
Let’s stick to what he does best, and his track record with defensive players is a lot better. The Browns have a Top-5 to Top-10 defense. We can also see Berry taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at the number #6 pick. Berry has taken DB’s early before, and doesn’t see a leopard changing its spots just yet. Downs is a versatile defensive back who can cover both run and pass coverages well. These are the qualities that Berry likes in an NFL prospect. Could it actually be Downs at #6?
Bearded Browns Podcast
Hosts: Michael Wilkes, Angel Ortiz, Sam Lacavera, and Dr. Chad Mediate
Twitter: @Bearded_Browns
Round 1, Pick #6
Our pick: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State University
The Cleveland Browns need solid depth at wide receiver. While we consider Jerry Jeudy, WR1, there are too many unknowns at this time not to draft what could be a solid receiver for the Browns.
Carnell Tate would be a pretty solid asset to the Browns. Last year, he had 51 receptions for 875 yards, averaging 17.2 yards per play and nine touchdowns. Get someone who can get open and catch the ball, and be a playmaker! Tate is what this offense needs to spice things up this year.
Consensus seems to be Carnell Tate, but who do you think the Browns should take with the 6th overall pick?
Join the conversation and the podcast folks in the comment section below
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