The Cleveland Browns have rebuilt the wide receiver and tight end rooms in the NFL draft over the past two offseasons, but Harold Fannin Jr. is on the most predictable track to high-level success heading into the summer of 2026.
A third-round tight end out of Bowling Green in 2025, Fannin outshone David Njoku as a rookie. Fannin tallied 72 catches for 731 yards and six TDs. That was enough for Cleveland to feel comfortable letting Njoku, a Pro Bowler in 2023, walk in free agency before elevating Fannin into the No. 1 role.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Reference on Wednesday, May 13 listed Fannin in the tight end slot on his projected list of breakout players in 2026.
As a rookie in Cleveland, Fannin put his elite receiving acumen on display with a 76.4 PFF receiving grade and 1.68 yards per route run, both of which were no worse than 13th among qualified tight ends. Also encouraging was Fannin’s 70th-percentile separation rate against single coverage.
Fannin is positioned as the Browns’ clear top tight end. New head coach Todd Monken has a sturdy track record funneling targets through tight ends in his system, which should benefit the Bowling Green alum.
Browns Landed 2 Wide Receivers in Top 39 Picks of NFL Draft
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston.
Fannin turns just 22 years old in July ahead of his second pro season.
His performance as a rookie in an offense that struggled mightily, both on the offensive line and with quarterback play, projects into potentially elite-level performance on his rookie contract, which runs through 2028. His deal, which pays Fannin just $6.75 million total across that span, should offer the Browns some of the best value at the tight end position in the league.
Cleveland also swung big at the receiver position last month, drafting KC Concepcion out of Texas A&M with the No. 24 overall pick and seizing on former Washington wideout Denzel Boston, whom the majority of analysts afforded a first-round grade, when he somewhat inexplicably fell to No. 39 overall in Round 2.
Both Concepcion and Boston project as potentially big-time receivers at the NFL level, though Fannin’s ability to show proof of his talents on the field across 16 games played (13 starts) in 2025 renders him a safer bet to breakout in Year 2 than either rookie wideout in 2026.
Browns Drafted 2 Tight Ends on Day 3 to Play Behind Harold Fannin Jr.
GettyCleveland Browns tight end Joe Royer.
The Browns have Fannin on what looks like a great deal through his early 20s, but the team still utilized meaningful draft capital to fill out the tight end room behind him, as the league, essentially in its entirety, moves to more heavy offensive groupings — 12 and 13 personnel, (two- and three-tight end sets).
Cleveland selected TE Joe Royer out of Cincinnati in Round 5 (No. 170 overall) and Carsen Ryen out of BYU in Round 7 (No. 248 overall).
“After Day 2 of the draft, [GM Andrew] Berry acknowledged that he misjudged the early run on a string of blocking tight ends,” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote following the draft. “Royer, 6-5 and 247 pounds, doesn’t necessarily fit the profile of a stout inline blocker, but he has the size to potentially fill the role.”
“He also has upside as a pass-catcher; Royer didn’t drop a pass in 2025 and averaged nine yards after catch per reception, which was third highest among FBS tight ends last season,” Oyefusi continued. “Monken has had success with two-TE groupings, so Royer could compete for a role alongside Harold Fannin Jr.”
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