Cleveland Browns Target 21-Year-Old Former Oregon Ducks Tight End for the 2026 NFL Draft
Former Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq met with the Cleveland Browns this week for a top-30 visit just two weeks ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old is coming off a season in which he caught eight touchdowns for 560 receiving yards on 51 receptions. Sadiq has been projected to go in the first round of most mock drafts since the NFL Combine, and the latest CBS Sports mock draft has the Idaho-native going to the Carolina Panthers with the 19th pick. The Browns desperately need another option in the air game, and Sadiq could fit perfectly in head coach Todd Monken’s scheme.
Beginning his career in 2023, Sadiq didn’t get a lot of passes thrown his way until the following year. As a sophomore, he caught 24 passes for 308 yards. The highlight of the season came in the 2024 Big Ten Championship against the Penn State Nittany Lions, when he caught the only two touchdowns of his second season. Sadiq’s breakout year came in 2025, as he was one of the most active figures on an Oregon offense that was deep with talent. Not only did he lead all FBS tight ends in receiving touchdowns, but he was also a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which recognizes the best players at the tight end position each season. The six-foot-three pass catcher is known for his athleticism, and posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.39 seconds, which was the fastest of all tight ends at the combine.
Cleveland won’t be taking him with the sixth pick, but should Sadiq drop down to the 24th pick in this year’s draft, general manager Andrew Berry may want to consider adding him to the roster. Two tight end schemes have become common in today’s game, with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs utilizing Travis Kelce and Noah Gray in play calls that involve multiple players at the position. Harold Fanin was a revelation for Cleveland last season, and could be very intriguing paired with another high-quality tight end like Sadiq. Additionally, history shows that Monken is quite fond of using two tight-end schemes.
Serving as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, Monken’s schemes saw success from both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Likely’s role as the backup tight end saw him produce so much that he earned his way into a three-year deal worth $40 million with the New York Giants. Last season, Andrews and Likely combined for 729 receiving yards and six touchdowns, showing that Monken’s style of offense really does excel with two tight ends. Monken already seems like he’s trying to emulate what he did in Baltimore by bringing over former Ravens running game coordinator Travis Switzer as his OC and is welcoming in strong pieces on the offensive line by way of free agency to bolster the Browns’ running game to the likes of Baltimore’s. All signs on the wall point to Cleveland being interested in the idea of choosing Sadiq, but Berry and Monken will have to wait to see if they can even draft him late in the first round.
