If an NFL fan were to hear that a random, unidentified team had five wins the prior season, they would likely say that the organization in question would have a lot of rebuilding to do in the seasons to come. Teams that win five or fewer games typically have a lot of rebuilding to do, and their near future isn’t always the brightest.
With that said, many fans and some analysts are starting to believe that the Cleveland Browns are headed down the right path, even though they won just five games in 2025. A massive factor for this faith is their 2025 NFL Draft class, which is held in high regard by people around the league.
Several of the Browns’ rookies panned out better than expected last year, which might bode well for 2026 and beyond. This exciting boom wasn’t just observed by analysts and fans, but fellow players also saw it. DT Maurice Hurst talked about this in a recent appearance on the BIGPLAY Cleveland Show, noting how impressed he was with his new teammates.
“A lot of them had those intangibles coming in, just knowing how to work, confident in their play and ability, just guys that are going to be really good for a really long time,” Hurst said.
Browns DT @MoHurstJr predicts a very bright future for the franchise after the success of last year’s rookies. #DawgPound
“This is a class that you build a special team around.” ⭐ pic.twitter.com/Bbct0yMW6Q
— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) March 4, 2026
As Hurst indicated, there’s a lot of hype and excitement surrounding these players. It didn’t necessarily translate to solid offensive production right away, but that takes time. Their defense was stronger than ever before, and with the right draft in 2026, the sky is seemingly the limit for them moving forward.
New head coach Todd Monken is said to be something of an offensive guru. Even though he’s starting with the roster that he inherited from Kevin Stefanski, people are expecting big things from him out of the gate, which adds a level of pressure that he didn’t necessarily have in Baltimore. Thankfully, this 2025 class gives him some young talent to work with, and the 2026 class, headlined by two first-round picks, could yield similar results.
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