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The Cleveland Browns have a lot of work to do on Thursday night.
It's the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Browns have two selections to make.
They are on the board with their own pick at No. 6, and then they have the Jaguars' pick from the Travis Hunter trade at No. 24.
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Together, those two spots could land the Browns some foundational pieces for their future -- or they could also be used to move around the draft board with some more trades.
But there's one thing that analysts are pretty confident in: The Browns are chasing two specific positions.
"One thing is certain: Cleveland plans to leave Thursday night with a new tackle and a new wide receiver," ESPN's Matt Miller wrote late Wednesday. "The order in which it does that is the biggest question mark."
Miller's latest mock draft gave the Browns a tackle first, Francis Mauigoa from Miami.
"The Browns have been linked to the top offensive tackles in this class by rival scouts, with some thinking Mauigoa is the move here," Miller writes. "But there has been steam picking up this week that Cleveland could trade out of this spot and target (Utah's Spencer) Fano. But if no deal emerges that the Browns like, sticking and selecting the consensus best offensive tackle is a great way to boost a unit that needs immediate attention."
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There is at least one contrary opinion, though. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wonders if the Browns might have a surprise up their sleeve.
"As one team source cautioned, Cleveland was unpredictable last year with the Travis Hunter trade and could be again," Fowler writes. "To peg it solely as going receiver/tackle in Round 1 is short-sighted, the source said. So, while I don't expect the Browns to take Styles or Downs, defensive help isn't totally off the table, even if it's an entry point to trade back. And yes, like many others, Cleveland wants to trade down, not up."
The Browns likely hoped when they made that Hunter trade last year that it'd help them land a QB this year, but that doesn't appear to be the case. They'll just have to make the most of these two picks in other ways.
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