Dawgs By Nature
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, a lot of players could be chosen for this exercise. In an attempt to dig a bit deeper than listing obvious players like Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr., we decided to pick overlooked guys who could break out from either a statistical or playing time category in 2026.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
Understandably, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been the talk of the town lately, but Isaiah Bond is just as likely to have a big season as they are in 2026.
He showed the ability to beat defenses in multiple areas of the field in 2025, and he’s undoubtedly in line to see a lot of playing time this season. Bond is incredibly explosive and somebody that Todd Monken could want to get the ball to quite a bit in 2026.
It’s do-or-die time for Harden heading into year three in Cleveland. He’s shown flashes of above-average play at times, but he’s been incredibly inconsistent up to this point.
It was really telling that the coaching staff felt comfortable enough not to draft a slot corner in the 2026 NFL draft despite multiple opportunities to do so, which leads me to believe that this coaching staff still believes in Harden.
If he can limit the mental lapses from last year, 2026 could be the season where Harden finally shows that he can be the Browns’ nickel of the future.
Whoa, the Browns’ 5th-round pick who most people expect to be a special teams-only player? Yes, that’s him.
Cleveland’s defensive staff loves him, and so did quite a few others throughout the pre-draft process. He’s incredibly athletic and processes the game very well, which is why Alabama was able to use him in so many different ways in 2025. He was an above-average blitzer and coverage player, and he was better against the run than other sub-230-pound linebackers.
Due to sheer necessity and lack of talent behind Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams, Jefferson could battle his way into a legitimate role in Mike Rutenberg’s defense as a rookie. Seeing Jefferson operate as Cleveland’s top nickel linebacker or WILL in 2026 wouldn’t be surprising whatsoever.
