CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from Jan. 17, 2021.
This April, Cleveland will play host to the 2021 NFL Draft.
But when it comes to the hometown team's first-round selection, the Cleveland Browns will have to wait longer than usual for its turn.
With the draft order for playoff teams determined by order of elimination, the Browns entered Sunday unsure of where they'd be picking this spring. But following Cleveland's 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round, the Browns now know that they'll possess the No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
If that number seems late, that's because it's the lowest first-round pick that Cleveland has entered a draft laying claim to since 1995, when it also possessed the No. 26 pick, which it traded to the Atlanta Falcons. From 2009-2020, the Browns entered the draft with 10 top-10 picks as the result of their year-end records.
The current order for the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft -- with the final four picks to still be determined -- is as follows:
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New York Jets
- Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans)
- Atlanta Falcons
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Detroit Lions
- Carolina Panthers
- Denver Broncos
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- San Francisco 49ers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Football Team
- Chicago Bears
- Indianapolis Colts
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Jets (via Seattle Seahawks)
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams)
- Cleveland Browns
- Baltimore Ravens
- New Orleans Saints
As for the status of the 2021 NFL Draft, which is scheduled to take place from April 29-May 1, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission President and CEO David Gilbert told 3News in October that Cleveland is still planning to host the event amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Right now it's full steam ahead planning for a large live event in Cleveland. It's being promoted nationally," Gilbert said. "It's not going to be elbow to elbow, certainly, the way it was in Nashville."