Browns 'Stick and Pick' Alabama Center Parker Brailsford 146th Overall
Another addition to the offensive line rebuild, this time taking a swing at a long-term center.
The Cleveland Browns continued their offensive line overhaul kicking off Day 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Alabama center Parker Brailsford with the 146th overall pick. It was a fitting end to a draft in which Cleveland invested heavily in protecting its quarterback, having already taken tackles Spencer Fano and Austin Barber earlier in the weekend.
Brailsford’s path to Cleveland is anything but ordinary. A consensus four-star recruit, he signed with Washington and redshirted in 2022 before starting all 15 games as a redshirt freshman in 2023, anchoring the offensive line that won the prestigious Joe Moore Award — given annually to the nation’s top offensive line unit. When head coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, Brailsford followed. He decided to forgo his remaining eligibility after serving as a team captain for the Tide and earning All-SEC honors in 2025.
By the time his college career was done, Brailsford had started an impressive 42 career games. He started 40 of those at center and two at right guard, including 14 games as a permanent team captain for Alabama in 2025.
His calling card is movement and athleticism. His former Washington teammate and current NFL player Troy Fautanu said it best, calling Brailsford the “best center in the country” after he transferred to Alabama.
Brailsford is a zone-heavy center who would thrive in that offense type that wants its center moving laterally, climbing to linebackers, and making calls at the line is where he belongs. The questions, as with many smaller centers, center on size. He is alert and twitched-up with very good competitive toughness and sustain skills, and plays with the grit to carve out an NFL role — even competing for a starting center job if flanked with bigger, hulking guards to help mitigate his slender frame.
At pick 146, the Browns landed a battle-tested, two-program veteran who was a captain at one of college football’s elite programs. The team has now spent considerable draft capital reshaping their offensive line from top to bottom — and Brailsford might be the final piece of that project.
Browns Film Breakdown will have full breakdown of the this pick tomorrow.
