Browns Fans Eye No. 1 Pick as 2025 Season Nears Rock Bottom
It’s been a tough ride for the Cleveland Browns in 2025 - and with just two games left, the finish line can’t come soon enough. Sitting at three wins and twelve losses, the Browns are staring down another top-10 draft pick.
But for fans already looking ahead to 2026, the dream isn’t just a high pick - it’s the pick. No. 1 overall.
That’s right. With the playoffs out of reach and the season all but buried, many Browns fans have shifted their focus to draft position and one silver lining: the potential for Myles Garrett to break the single-season sack record. Beyond that, it’s all about the future - and the math to land the top pick is starting to come into focus.
The Road to No. 1: What Needs to Happen
As of now, the Browns hold the No. 3 spot in the draft order. To climb to the top, Cleveland needs to lose out - and get a little help from two other struggling franchises: the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants, both sitting at 2-13.
Here’s where things get interesting: Vegas and New York face each other in Week 17. That game guarantees one of them will finish with at least three wins - tying Cleveland’s current total. So if the Browns lose to the Steelers this week (a tough pill to swallow for fans, even with draft stakes in mind), they’ll move into the top two.
But getting all the way to No. 1? That’s going to take a bit more.
Week 17: Rooting for the Right Chaos
For the Browns to leapfrog both the Raiders and Giants, they need both teams to win one more game each. That starts with Week 17. If the Giants beat the Raiders, one of those teams will be sitting at 3-13 - matching Cleveland if the Browns lose to Pittsburgh.
That sets the stage for Week 18, where everything could be decided.
Week 18: The Final Puzzle Piece
In the season finale, the Giants face the Dallas Cowboys, while the Raiders take on the Kansas City Chiefs. On paper, both matchups look like long shots for the underdogs - but there’s a wrinkle.
Kansas City is down to its third-string quarterback and just got handled by the Titans. That opens the door, however slightly, for a Raiders upset. If that happens - and if the Giants already beat the Raiders the week before - both teams would finish with three wins, same as Cleveland.
Now, if the Browns lose out, and the Raiders and Giants each notch one more win, Cleveland would hold the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker - and that’s how the No. 1 overall pick ends up in Northeast Ohio.
What’s at Stake
For a franchise that’s still trying to find long-term stability at quarterback and consistency across the board, the No. 1 pick in 2026 could be a turning point. It’s not just about a high pick - it’s about controlling the board, having your choice of top talent, and potentially setting the tone for the next decade.
Of course, that also means rooting against your team for two more weeks - a strange, uncomfortable position for any fanbase. But after another season gone off the rails, Browns fans are used to balancing hope with hard reality.
So yes, it’s scoreboard-watching season in Cleveland - not for playoff positioning, but for draft order. And if everything breaks just right, the Browns could be on the clock come April.