It's not unusual for the Pittsburgh Steelers to prepare for a divisional matchup against the Cleveland browns in the middle of the season. But what's most unusual is to see the Browns currently sit atop the division with a 5-2 record and the current head-to-head tiebreaker over the Steelers.
Many of us expect the Browns to come crashing back down to earth soon. Whether they do or not, one thing is for sure: they knocked their 2026 draft class out of the park.
The Browns did something the Steelers haven't done in 20 years: they drafted a wide receiver in the first round, KC Concepcion. But they didn't stop there. With the 39th overall pick, they doubled up on the position with Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston.
In one fell swoop, the Browns completely fixed their receiver corps. Meanwhile, the Steelers are still looking for someone to turn to in the passing game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be reminded of the Browns' impressive rookie receivers in Week 8
I'm not saying the Steelers made poor decisions taking offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with their first pick or trading up for Germie Bernard in the second round. Both players have been impressive at times in the first half of their rookie seasons and stand to be a big piece of the puzzle moving forward.
However, it's frustrating watching the Browns solve their wide receiver issue by aggressively pursuing the position in the draft, unlike Pittsburgh has done in two decades—and with players the Steelers could have had.
Cleveland selected Concepcion with the 24th overall selection in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, three picks after Pittsburgh turned in their card for Iheanachor. The shifty wideout is coming off a spectacular performance against the Titans in which he caught eight of 10 passes for 129 yards. Boston, meanwhile, recorded 89 yards against the Steelers in their first meeting.
Right now, Boston and Concepcion are second and third among all rookie receivers in yards (372 and 315, respectively)—trailing only the Titans' Carnell Tate. Likewise, both players rank inside the top three in Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.
There's no chance the Browns are disappointed with their top draft choices.
Since Antonio Brown forced his way out of Pittsburgh during the 2019 offseason, Steelers fans have been banging the table for the team to invest first-round draft capital to find the next No. 1 option in Pittsburgh. Though Bernard is a quality player, he may not be a true go-to option in the passing game that the quarterback can pepper with targets every week.
Unfortunately, Concepcion and Boston aren't the only draft picks Cleveland knocked out of the park. Offensive tackle Spencer Fano already looks like one of the best up-and-coming offensive linemen in the NFL, while rookie second-round pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is somehow already playing like a top-five player at the safety position.
With 10 selections in the 2026 draft, including three third-round picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers had more than enough firepower to land a pair of receivers inside the top-40 picks of the draft—and KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston were both on their draft radar.
This Browns receiver pairing could prove lethal for years to come, and the Steelers will get another taste of that this Sunday. Let's hope we don't have draft regrets after this Week 8 AFC North matchup.
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