Utah OT Spencer Fano drafted 9th overall by Cleveland Browns

PITTSBURGH (KSL.com) — Sitting in the living room with his friends and family, Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano stared at a stash of hats representing each of the 32 teams in the National Football League.

One of them would be responsible for the next step of his football journey.

The Cleveland Browns selected former Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano with the No. 9 overall pick in Thursday night’s first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

With experience at both right and left tackle, Fano tied for the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL draft combine in 4.91 seconds. Adept at both run blocking and pass blocking, the 6-foot-6, 311-pound lineman was ranked the fourth-best tackle in this year’s draft class and No. 19 overall prospect by ESPN.

The Browns traded down to select Fano, swinging a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to inch down from No. 6 overall and adding the Chiefs’ first-round selection, as well as a third-round (No. 74 overall) and fifth-round (No. 141) pick.

Browns select Spencer Fano in 2026 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from April 23–25. The event was televised on ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network.

Fano was the first offensive lineman selected in the draft, and the 11th player from Utah selected in the first round all-time. He is the highest-drafted such selection from Utah since Jordan Gross went No. 8 overall to Carolina in 2003, making a total of 47 offensive linemen from Utah to be drafted.

The Utes’ unanimous All-American join a Browns team that posted a 5-12 record in 2025 before hiring a new offensive line coach in former Rive head coach Mike Bloomgren and promoting tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator to replace Ken Dorsey.

About Spencer Fano

Coming out of Timpview High School, the right tackle from Spanish Fork, Utah, was a four-star prospect according to 247 Sports.

Fano was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Utah, the seventh-ranked offensive lineman, and the 42nd-ranked overall prospect in the country.

In three years with the Utah football program, Fano played in 37 games with 35 starts.

Last season, he allowed zero sacks and zero QB hits in 822 snaps. As one of the best offensive linemen in college football, Fano was named First Team All-American, the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, and received the Outland Trophy.

Fano becomes the fifth member of his family to make it to the NFL.