3 Cleveland Browns Who May Have Slid Down The Depth Chart After NFL Draft

The NFL Draft really is a magical night for the entire league.

There are few things better than watching rookies realize all their hard work was worth it. Watching the lives of families transform in a few split seconds is extremely touching. From the seasoned veteran coming out of a Division II college being selected in the seventh round to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza embracing his mother, despite probably knowing he'd be selected to the Las Vegas Raiders for month, the draft is, arguably, the most special night in football.

Just like almost everything in life, there's another side of this coin. As NFL teams sign their draft picks and undrafted free agents, it's inevitable that some players currently on the team lose their jobs or slide down the depth chart. When Cleveland drafted Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin Jr., Quinshon Judkins, Shedeur Sanders, and Mason Graham, there was room that needed to be made. There were moves that had to be made in order to maximize the potential of these rookies.

Expect the same when this regular season begins this September.

1. Isaiah Bond

Browns General Manager Andrew Berry lit the green light on two high wide receiver picks on behalf of Cleveland's front office. Cleveland selected wide receivers KC Concepcion with the No. 24 pick in the first round and Denzel Boston with the No. 29 pick in the second round. Concepcion and Boston could not be more different from each other, but both have the potential to impact winning immediately.

This means someone in the receiver room currently will see less snaps. It's the unfortunate reality of the draft. While Bond had more receiving yards and more explosive plays, the 6-foot-3 Cedric Tillman proved to be a bigger and more reliable target on early downs. At 5-foot-10, he also has a similar skillset to shiny new weapon, KC Concepcion, who is a bit bigger than Bond and more dynamic than Bond. If Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Cedric Tillman, Harold Fannin Jr., and Cleveland's cast of running backs are seeing most of the targets, that leaves someone out of the picture.

2. Ronnie Hickman

The Browns front office re-signed safety Ronnie Hickman as a tendered restricted free agent in March. He collected 52 combined tackles and two interceptions last season.

The safety duo of Grant Delpit and new second round draft pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is an intriguing one. The Browns traded up from No. 70 with San Francisco to select McNeil-Warren at No. 58.

Delpit is one of the better open-field tacklers at the strong safety position, notching 89 combined tackles last season and 111 combined tackles in 2024. McNeil-Warren is a better as an open-field tackler than he is in coverage at the free safety position. He's 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, which is massive for a safety. While he still has room to improve as a clever and cerebral free safety in coverage, his ability to create turnovers (five interceptions and eight forced fumbles in four college seasons) also got him selected high. There's a lot of intrigue and upside with McNeil-Warren that Cleveland is sure to try to maximize.

Hickman is not a natural box safety and performs better in pass coverage. Hickman could see more reps than McNeil-Warren when the season starts, but expect McNeil-Warren to be fully integrated into the rotation by week 18.

3. Dillon Gabriel

There are a few obvious answers. Offensive tackle Dawand Jones, who started three games for Cleveland last year, will probably compete and lose a job to rookie Spencer Fano or newly acquired veteran tackle Tytus Howard. Malachi Corley and Jamari Thrash are bound to see even less snaps this season after the receiver selections Cleveland made this weekend. Chris Edmonds has been on Cleveland's roster for two seasons as a backup safety, but McNeil-Warren could signal the beginning of the end for him.

Despite drafting QB Taylen Green today, the Browns say they have no plans to trade QB Dillon Gabriel. https://t.co/7FWsRwlTK0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2026

The most notable slide down the depth chart could be in the quarterback room though. Cleveland selected athletic anomaly Taylen Green in the sixth round. While Cleveland reportedly has no plans to trade Dillon Gabriel, this is the same front office who traded Joe Flacco for a fifth round pick a few weeks into the regular season to shrink the quarterback room.

If teams with a veteran or injury-prone quarterback decide to throw a third or fourth round pick at Andrew Berry for Gabriel, Cleveland will almost certainly explore the opportunity after the selection of Green.

Add us as a preferred source on Google