Night 1 of the NFL Draft was about adding draft capital for Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns. Night two of the NFL Draft has been about filling out a roster with a ton of needs.
That trend continued as the draft rolled into its third round Friday night, with the Browns staying put once again and selected Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. with the 67th overall pick, keeping the Canton native close to home.
Under-recruited out of McKinley High School, Fannin Jr. caught the attention of NFL evaluators during his junior season with the Falcons in 2024. The memorable campaign saw Fannin Jr. set FBS tight end records in receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555).
He saved his best performance for last, catching 17 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown in a 38-31 Ventures Bowl loss to Arkansas State. It was yet another FBS record established by Fannin Jr. for single-game receiving yards by a tight end.
Fannin Jr.'s best games came against the biggest opponents. His meteoric rise seemed to begin after a breakout performance against Penn State in early September. In a 34-27 loss, the eventual Mac Player of the year grabbed 11 passes for 137 yards and one score.
He followed it up two weeks later, by putting up some eye-popping numbers against SEC juggernaut Texas A&M, making eight receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown.
His stock took off from there, culminating in a rise up NFL Draft boards over the last several months. He ended the season winning the MAC's 43rd Vern Smith Leadership Award, recognizing the top player in the conference.
Despite the fact that 2023 Pro Bowl David Njoku is slated to return to the Browns this season, tight end was believed to be a sneaky need for the franchise, especially considering head coach Kevin Stefanski's propensity to run 12-personnel (two tight end sets) on offense.
Njoku also enters the 2025 campaign on the last year of his deal, which puts Fannin squarely in position to become a pivotal cornerstone of Cleveland's offense for years to come.
