As new head coach Todd Monken builds his first offense with the Cleveland Browns, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. will be one of his best pass catchers to work with. Monken already sees star potential when he looks at the tight end.
In fact, the head coach compared Fannin to current Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers. His comments are an indictment of where Fannin stands in the offense before Monken has put any of his touches on it, via Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
“He's a little like Brock Bowers in that his body type is more of an H and F, run after the catch more than length, more as a C gap blocking Y,” Monken said. “So you love his athleticism, you like his ability to run after the catch, his ball skills like Brock, very similar in that regard.”
Injuries limited Bowers to 12 games in 2025, but he still made the Pro Bowl after catching 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns. As a rookie, the tight end set numerous records with 112 grabs for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. Needless to say, comparing Fannin to a player of Bowers' caliber shows how highly Monken thinks of him.
As a rookie, Fannin caught 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He led the Browns in all three categories, making quite the strong impression on year one.
It would be a shock if Cleveland didn't add offensive help in the 2026 NFL Draft. But no matter the addition, Fannin is still poised to hold a major role in the pass game. The only question left is who is throwing those passes to him.
