Browns general manager Andrew Berry‘s phone would not stop ringing during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He had already moved down from the sixth to the ninth overall pick, and by the time Cleveland came back on the clock, he received multiple offers to trade back again.
Two calls came in from NFC teams before the Saints officially selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the No. 8 pick. Berry received – and immediately declined – another offer as the Browns’ scouts were going over the profile of their eventual pick. He also opted to stay put at No. 24 overall despite a ton of trade action during the second half of the first round. By the end of Day 1, Cleveland rejected at last six trade proposals from other teams, per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, and walked out with two of their most coveted players: Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano and Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion.
On the Browns’ end, moving down from No. 9 presented a significant risk that they would miss out on Fano, whom they perceived as the top offensive tackle in the draft class. The Giants were thought to be targeting an offensive lineman at No. 10, as were several teams in the teens. Berry’s decision to stay at No. 9 and select Fano seems to have been the right one. Between the 10th and 21st picks, six teams drafted offensive linemen, including the Giants, who selected Miami’s Francis Mauigoa.
As for the teams attempting to trade with the Browns, they may have been looking to jump the Giants. New York had been linked with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs throughout the pre-draft process and were also seen as a plausible destination for Mauigoa or even Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane. The Cowboys were known to have interest in Downs and even moved up one spot to draft him, so they very well could have given Berry a call about the No. 9 pick.