Cleveland Browns lock in draft positioning after NFL Wild Card Playoff results

The Cleveland Browns finally know where their two first round picks are going to be after the first weekend of the playoffs have completed.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a season when not much went right for the Cleveland Browns, at least one good thing came out of it.

Before the season and during the 2025 NFL Draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry made the biggest trade of the draft as he moved back from the second overall pick to the number five pick with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland gave up the second overall pick, 104th overall pick, and the 200th overall pick to acquire the fifth, 36th and 126th overall picks in 2025 and a 2026 first round pick.

Browns fans now know what the 2026 first-round pick is, now that the Jaguars have been eliminated from the postseason with their Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Cleveland will now hold the sixth- and 24th-overall picks in the first round.

#Browns own the Nos 6 and 24 picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) January 12, 2026

When the Browns made the trade last year, they were hoping that the Jaguars were still going to be in rebuild mode and have two high picks in the 2026 Draft. Jacksonville exceeded expectations and won the AFC South.

Now that the Browns know where they will be picking, this will give them a better idea of how to approach an all-important draft, as it will be the first year in six years that a head coach other than Kevin Stefanski is taking the reins. This is the one that will set the tone for the next three to five years.

Berry did a fantastic job in 2025 with the Browns' draft, as they landed multiple players who went on to start for the team. Those players include Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Mason Graham, Harold Fannin Jr., and Shedeur Sanders.

The Browns will have some decisions to make early in the draft with their two first-round picks. They can either stick with them and get guys at those positions or make some trades in the draft.

Cleveland might be able to use those two picks to move up in the draft if there is a prospect they love. That will depend on whether they want to replace Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel as potential quarterback options or go in a different direction.

What's good about this draft is that the Browns have plenty of ammunition on Day 1 to make any kind of moves they want, depending on the draft board. This could be the one draft that finally gets Cleveland over the top and back into the postseason.