Dawgs By Nature
Even if everything related to the Cleveland Browns is about the future, particularly the 2026 NFL draft order, not every game in the NFL matters for fans of the team. Many fans start to focus on rooting for the best outcome for the Browns NFL draft positioning, others start to find their “second team” to root for in the ramp up to the playoffs, many focus on rooting against the AFC North, and still some tune out of the NFL altogether.
Sunday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans is a big one for the two teams’ draft stock. For Cleveland, seven other games can help or hurt their NFL draft positioning, but as seen in the chart below, none are highly significant at this time. The team is currently slotted with the fifth overall pick.
If all of those things were to happen, Cleveland would likely be slotted into the third pick coming out of Week 14, barring some huge swing in Strength of Schedule (the primary tiebreaker). If all of those outcomes go against the Browns, they would likely be selecting ninth overall.
The chart below shows you the value of each game for teams competing for higher draft picks:
Having the Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick as well, Cleveland fans will be rooting for:
If those games all go the way Browns fans will be hoping for, the Jags would be on the outside looking in of the AFC playoff picture with their pick back inside the top 18.
