BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken just put the rest of the AFC North on notice regarding his young tight end. Monken, currently constructing his first offensive scheme in Cleveland, hasn’t just noticed Harold Fannin Jr.—he’s already comparing him to Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro Brock Bowers. After Fannin led all Browns pass catchers in every major category during his 2025 rookie campaign, the bar in Berea has officially shifted from “promising” to “elite.”
The Blueprint for a Breakout
Fannin didn’t just survive his rookie season; he set the pace for a roster in transition. The Bowling Green product notched 72 receptions for 731 yards and six touchdowns, proving he could handle the physical toll of the pro game. Monken, who spent years watching elite tight end play at Georgia and with the Ravens, sees a specific archetype in Fannin that mirrors Bowers’ game-breaking ability in space.
The morning air at the Browns’ facility carried a sharp chill today, but the atmosphere around the practice field felt electric. Fannin looked noticeably more explosive during early drills, a sign that his first full NFL offseason has paid dividends. Monken isn’t looking for a traditional “Y” tight end who stays attached to the tackle. He wants a weapon he can move across the formation to hunt mismatches against slower linebackers.
“He’s a little like Brock Bowers in that his body type is more of an H and F, run after the catch more than length. You love his athleticism, you like his ability to run after the catch, his ball skills like Brock, very similar in that regard.”
— Todd Monken, Browns Head Coach
Draft Strategy and the Year 2 Leap
The comparison is heavy praise considering Bowers’ historic start to his career. Despite battling through injuries that limited him to 12 games in 2025, Bowers still secured a Pro Bowl nod with 64 catches and seven scores. Fannin’s rookie production actually rivaled the volume of most top-tier veterans, and now he gets to play in a Monken system famous for feeding versatile tight ends.
Cleveland holds the sixth and 24th picks in the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. While the front office will likely look for a franchise quarterback to stabilize the room, they already have their primary weapon in place. Whether it’s a rookie signal-caller or a veteran under center, the offense will flow through Fannin. He isn’t just a piece of the puzzle anymore; he’s the player Monken plans to build the entire passing attack around.
