Something strange happened at the 2026 NFL Draft this weekend in Pittsburgh. Not only did Roger Goodell announce the top overall selection being Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders. He also announced one for the Cleveland Browns.
A video from Fox 5 DC anchor Jim Lokay of Goodell at the draft went viral on social media, announcing that the Cleveland Browns had selected Ohio State quarterback Connor Roarke with the top overall selection.
Of course, there is no Connor Roarke at Ohio State. So it appears that the pick was being filmed for a fictional movie or series. We even saw the actor portraying Roarke in the hallway mirror, where the real draftees have checked their hat fits this week.
Roger Goodell just came on stage to announce Ohio State QB Connor Roarke as the Clelevand Browns’ 1st draft pick — except the crowd was told it was for an unidentified scripted production. pic.twitter.com/jUgzztqWQf
— Jim Lokay (@Lokay) April 24, 2026
Speculation has immediately begun as to what this video could mean. For anyone hoping for a sequel to the cult classic Draft Day starring Kevin Costner, there is some unfortunate news to share.
The answer is most likely that it is part of a new Hulu series in production called The Land. It’s produced by Dan Fogelman and stars William H. Macy as the owner of the team. While Macy had said that the team would be “nominally” the Cleveland Browns, it looks like the NFL is giving full support for its branding, with the Browns’ name included. Fogelman has leaned more into dramas like This Is Us throughout his career, so this could be a very different football series from what we’re used to seeing, with more of a comedic bent, like Hulu’s Chad Powers.
Macy has called the scripts “Shakespearean” and said there’s a little bit of Friday Night Lights in the series. Christopher Meloni, Chloe Bennet, and Mandy Moore are also set to star in the series, which has yet to announce a release date. The real-life Browns are never shy of drama, whether it’s the drafting of Shedeur Sanders or their planned move to the Cleveland suburbs. But given this is fiction, maybe they will actually win some games in this series.
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