QB Fernando Mendoza, WR Carnell Tate battle for Browns’ top spot: Browns NFL Draft Big Board: Vote for spots 6-10

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 31: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) warms up before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Miami (FL) Hurricanes on December 31, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The 2026 Cleveland Browns’ DBN Big Board got off to a heated start with the top five, as 460 people cast a vote. The 1-5 slots for the Browns ’ DBN Big Board are as follows: WR Carnell Tate – 1217 total points QB Fernando Mendoza – 906 total points S Caleb Downs – 720 total points LB Arvell Reese – 677 total points OT Monroe Freeling – 556 total points This ended up being a darn-near identical scenario as a year ago, when Abdul Carter was ranked No.

1 and Cam Ward was ranked No. 2, despite Ward out-pacing Carter in first-place votes. This year, it was between WR Carnell Tate and QB Fernando Mendoza .

Mendoza led the way with 170 first-place votes, but had almost no support from other fans when you look at the second-fifth place votes (by contrast, Ward still had some support there a year ago). Tate only had 135 first-place votes, but almost everyone had him somewhere in their Top 5, which puts him atop the big board. From there, Ohio State remains a popular team to pick from, with S Caleb Downs and LB Arvell Reese locked in at the third and fourth spots.

For the final spot, there was a battle between OT Francis Mauigoa and OT Monroe Freeling , with Mauigoa having the early lead. Eventually, Freeling pulled ahead, but the margin between them was pretty thin. Remember that you are supposed to weigh a combination of talent, need, character, positional value, etc.