NFL Insider Thinks Browns Will Need To Move Up From No. 24 To Select Top Receiver

Moving up in the second half of the first round may be imminent for the Cleveland Browns if they want a top tier wide receiver.

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry watches practice on the second day of rookie minicamp May 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The anticipation for the NFL Draft grows each and every day, as we are now under ten days away from the draft commencing in Pittsburgh. Cleveland’s 2025 draft was a huge success, where they got their top contributors at quarterback, running back, tight end, and linebacker.

Naturally, you aren’t able to address every single position on the field in one draft, but with how much the team hit on last year, the needs this time around are clear.

If Cleveland were to address the offensive line first at pick six, pick 24 would be the slot to grab a wideout, but will all the options be available?

ESPN NFL Analyst Peter Schrager believes that by the time Cleveland comes up again in the first round, six wide receivers could have already been selected. 

All six of these wide receivers should go in the first round. All six could be gone by the time Cleveland is picking up a 24. https://t.co/yWb1eZ27nq

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 14, 2026

Prospects like Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon will most definitely be gone by No. 24, even if Cleveland doesn’t select one of them. The other top playmakers on the outside include Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State, Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana, K.C. Conception from Texas A&M, and Denzel Boston from Washington. 

While Cleveland is one of the teams targeting a wideout, teams like the Chiefs at nine,  the Dolphins at No. 11, the Rams at No. 13, the Jets at No. 16, and the Eagles at #No. 23 could all also be looking for a rookie pass catcher. Along with the possibility of other teams also trading up.

If this is the case, the Browns will need to be aggressive in moving up to select one of the top guys. Trying to move up to pick No. 15, where the Buccaneers are currently slotted, might be far-fetched, but necessary to grab an elite playmaker. 

By that point, the Dolphins and Rams may have taken the likes of Lemon, Tyson, or Cooper, but Cleveland would be able to clean up with who is left out of that top group. Tyson may fall because of his injury concerns, but he is an undeniable difference maker when he is on the field. 

The package to move up nine slots would have to include pick No. 24, along with Cleveland’s third-round pick at No. 70, and may have different variations, but the Browns need to be aggressive to help out their offense. 

Sitting back at No. 24 and hoping that a playmaker will fall in your lap is not a strategy to rely on. With the run on receivers that could be expected from picks 9-23, there is even more of a reason for Andrew Berry and the front office to go get their guy. Then again, in the past 25 drafts, there has only been one instance where six wr’s were taken before pick No. 24.