Browns Making WR A Potential First-Round Focus
The Browns aren’t doing much to hide one of their main focuses for the 2026 NFL Draft. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported yesterday that the team has hosted several wide receivers for top 30 visits in the past few days. 
Cleveland hasn’t lost much in its receiving corps to free agency and, just this week, added former Ravens return specialist Tylan Wallace to the room. The Browns are set to return Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Cedric Tillman to a passing attack that finished second-to-last in the NFL last year on the arms of three competing quarterbacks. Though things may still change, this year’s group isn’t expected to be dealing with as much uncertainty, with the expectation being that second-year passer Shedeur Sanders will compete with a recovering Deshaun Watson for QB1 honors.
Given the sheer number of returning bodies at the position, Cleveland likely isn’t aiming to build depth. Based on their early reported visits, the aim appears to be adding a starting-caliber receiver that can complement the playmakers currently in the building. We saw yesterday their plans to host Washington wideout Denzel Boston days after bringing in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (as well as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson). Considering those three pass catchers are three of NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s top five receivers, a first-round wideout could easily be in the Browns’ immediate future.
Those three aren’t alone in competition for Cleveland’s favor, though. Per Cabot, USC’s Makai Lemon, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Alabama’s Germie Bernard, and Louisville’s Chris Bell have all been subjects of the Browns’ pre-draft homework. The team has hosted all of them at some point in the past few days, as well as Miami (FL) offensive tackle Markel Bell, Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, and Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
It doesn’t seem the Browns are looking for any one particular attribute in a potential first-round receiver. The prospects they’ve looked at thus far range in body size, speed, and abilities. Some excel at making contested catches, while others specialize in yards after catch, and others still make route-running an art. Whether they’re looking for an upgrade in the slot, a big-bodied red-zone target, or someone to take the top off the defense, they appear to have no shortage of options or interests.
Louisville’s Chris Bell Suffered Torn ACL
One of the draft’s top receiver prospects is recovering from a serious injury. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel, Louisville’s Chris Bell suffered a torn ACL in late November.
[RELATED: WRs Starting To Emerge From 2026 Draft Class]
Bell suffered the injury in a November 22 matchup against SMU. The wideout finished that contest with five receptions for 46 yards. He was sidelined for the team’s regular season finale against Kentucky, and we now know why. Schefter notes that the player is believed to have suffered a “clean” tear, and he’s set to undergo surgery this week.
The six-foot-two, 220-pound receiver earned first-team All-ACC honors this season after hauling in 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns. This was a breakout season for the Cardinals star, who entered the year with 1,249 receiving yards in 36 games at Louisville.
This is obviously a tough development for the NFL prospect, who was recently projected by ESPN’s Field Yates to be a first-round pick in this year’s draft. Yates cited the player’s size and “uncommon power and burst” as reasons for why he’d be highly touted in the draft. This latest development will surely hurt the receiver’s draft stock, and in an update, Yates notes that the injury will likely force Bell out of the first round. Still, considering the wideout’s upside, a team will still surely take a chance on him, perhaps even earlier than Day 3.
Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson are still expected to be the first receivers off the board, but Bell could have pushed to be the third player taken at his position. Instead, this injury will likely open the door for the likes of USC’s Makai Lemon and Washington’s Denzel Boston to be scooped up by WR-needy squads drafting later in the first round.
WRs Starting To Emerge From 2026 Draft Class
In the days following the 2025 NFL Draft, early looks at the 2026 class had many excited about the potential options at quarterback. At this point of the year, though, many of the arms expected to have earned first-round buzz have made teams doubt whether they’re ready to come out of college altogether. According to Nick Baumgardner and Dane Brugler of The Athletic, another position has seen more success in emerging talented depth for next April.
While QBs haven’t fared well as a group thus far in the college football season, pass catchers have impressed. More notably, the position’s underclassmen have elevated what looked to be a lesser senior class of wide receivers. Asked to identify the prototypical X receivers in this year’s class, Baumgardner pointed immediately to the crop’s highest-rated WRs, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate.
At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Tyson has the frame of a pro wideout, and he’s logged monster production for the Sun Devils over the last two years. Last season, he put up an impressive 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. A hamstring injury has slightly reduced Tyson’s output this year, but he has still managed a line of 59-689-8 in eight games. There’s little lacking in his game as he excels in getting open and making tough, contested catches.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Tate is a bit longer and leaner than Tyson, but he doesn’t sacrifice any quickness or control with that length. Tate has established himself as a deep threat this season with crisp route-running and an ability to adjust his pace to find the ball or get open. It’s hard to shine in an offense that features sophomore star Jeremiah Smith (not yet draft-eligible), but Tate has found a way by establishing himself as one of the more sure-handed receivers in the country. He seems set to continue the parade of NFL-ready receivers out of Columbus, following in the footsteps of recent Buckeye success stories like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka, Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave, and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Other receivers generating buzz for later on in the first round include USC’s Makai Lemon, Washington’s Denzel Boston, Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, and Louisville’s Chris Bell. At 5-11, 195 pounds, Lemon doesn’t possess great size, but he’s fast and can excel in roles outside of the slot when given the opportunity. Boston is the complete opposite, with a sizeable 6-foot-4 frame and the abilities to play both on the outside or as a big slot. Concepcion is a danger to score any time he gets his hands on the ball, and the Aggies have made sure to feed him as much as NC State did before he transferred.
Bell is the first senior mentioned and the only one sneaking into late-first projections. Fellow senior Germie Bernard, who plays for Alabama, is seemingly on the fringe at this point in the process. Bell shows impressive traits while still needing to polish several aspects of his game, but he possesses some uncoachable strength and explosive speed that should really benefit him at the next level. Bernard doesn’t impress much as an athlete, lacking ideal size/speed/strength attributes, but he does a lot of things right with a good all-around game.
The underclassmen are truly the gems of the group, according to Brugler, who placed Tyson, Tate, and Lemon among his top 20 prospects entering the season. All of those players have matched or exceeded the hype since then, Brugler notes. At this point, there’s little question about if they’ll get drafted high or whether they can play at the next level. The more important question will be whether or not they’re ready to declare this year.