There is understandably a lot of excitement around the Cleveland Browns’ 2026 NFL Draft class, as GM Andrew Berry did an excellent job for the second year in a row. The team went into the draft with two obvious needs at left tackle and wide receiver, and both of those needs were met before the first night of the draft was over.
The excitement is even greater given how incredible last year’s draft class performed in Year 1, and if Berry was able to repeat that performance, then the future is all of a sudden incredibly bright. One rookie in particular has caught Bruce Drennan’s eye, as he recently voiced his support for one of the team’s top picks.
During a recent episode of Bonus Time, Drennan spoke highly of No. 9 pick Spencer Fano. He believes he’ll make a big impact right away, likely as the starting left tackle in Week 1.
“I think the #1 pick, Fano, the lineman, is going to start and think he’s going to have an impact right from the get-go. I really like the pick. I’m on record saying I really like the draft as well,” Drennan said.
Which Browns’ rookie will have the BIGGEST Year 1 impact? #DawgPound
“I think the #1 pick, Fano, is going to have impact right from the get. I really like the pick. I’m on record saying I really like the draft as well.”
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— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) May 7, 2026
Berry was able to trade down from the No. 6 overall pick to No. 9 and was still able to get the first lineman on the board. Fano is a big plug-and-play left tackle who can hopefully solve that position for a decade or more just like Joe Thomas did.
Fano has drawn impressive comparisons to some of the greats of years past, and it’s easy to see why. In his three years at Utah, he was named a freshman All-American, second-team All-American, and then first-team All-American as a junior, so whoever the starting quarterback is going to be is in good hands.
The one concern is that he has played right tackle over the past two years. He played left tackle as a freshman, and the Browns have left the door open in recent weeks by suggesting that Tytus Howard could move over to left tackle so Fano can play RT.
We’ll see how things officially shake out, but regardless of where Fano winds up, he has all the tools to be one of the best in the business.
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