Welcome to the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns fans.
It’s football Christmas, and all of the excitement, pain, joy, and fury of the season subsides for every fan to celebrate the future and potential of their teams. For the Browns, this is a particularly important draft, having mentally moved on from quarterback Deshaun Watson as they begin working towards a brighter future.
Unfortunately, the trade that brought Watson in has left the Browns undermanned. There’s still talent at every corner of the roster, but the depth chart thins quickly. Fortunately, Cleveland has a wealth of draft picks to address their needs and be aggressive in moving around the draft board. 10 total selections and four of which are in the top 100 (with pick 104 not far behind).
The team can’t fix every hole in one draft, but they can create positional strengths and patch up other areas. Here’s where the roster is lacking ahead of the draft.
Quarterback
The question of the off-season was how the Browns would fill this position. There was initial hype around Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, but questions remained if it was too early in a rebuild (or retool) to take the position, or if Sanders was worth a high selection. This is the logic that appears to have won, but if the team passes on a quarterback at pick two, when will they take one?
They’re almost certainly to address the position with a young prospect at some point, but the level of investment is the question.
They’ve already brought in Kenny Pickett and returned Joe Flacco. Both are good to start a few games and change things up, and if they’re really lucky, they can get a little more of the Flacco magic they obtained the last time he started. But neither represents a long-term option beyond this season. Entering the season with these two as the only real options would be a tough sell to fans.
Having a selection at the top of the second round provides a lot of options if Sanders starts to slip down the draft board, as reuniting him with Travis Hunter would be very tempting. If it’s not Sanders, getting an upside option like Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe would give the team plenty of flexibility going forward.
Running Back
While it’s a possibility that the team brings back treasured running back Nick Chubb, they can no longer rely on him to be an effective workhorse following his latest injury and age. Jerome Ford provides a decent body, but with only Pierre Strong Jr currently on the team besides him, this room needs both bodies and talent.
This is where the Browns catch a break. This class is filled with talent and depth at the position. Cleveland could be aggressive and take the best available at the top of round two, or even jump up if a strong prospect like Omarion Hampton began to slip. Of course, there are a couple of local guys in Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins who’d fit the bill as well.
However, if there’s a time to practice patience, it’s here. A great player will fall through the cracks in this loaded class. The value is waiting until at least the late third round and hoping you can find someone you can rely on, and not overspending while the offense is still in flux until they have a quarterback in place. The names available will be tempting, but hold tight.
Offensive Line
On the surface, the Browns should be fine on the line in 2025. They have talented players in Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin, and a fairly reliable starter in Ethan Pocic. The problem is that Pocic, turning 30 before the season, is the youngest of the group. Teller and Conklin have both been very banged up over the past few seasons, and Bitonio nearly retired this offseason.
That’s all before we get to the hole at left tackle, assuming Dawand Jones doesn’t have a surprise breakout season. There is some depth here with last year’s selection of Zak Zinter and free agent Teven Jenkins providing relief to a handful of spots.
But as things stand currently, there aren’t many long-term guarantees here. Jedrick Wills was supposed to be that guy, but his frustrating stint with the team went nowhere.
Cleveland should easily be able to find some interior talent this draft, but it may be equally as difficult to find a tackle; scarcity at the position may push prospects up the board past them. Ohio State’s Josh Simmons and Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr would be fantastic options, but several teams will covet them.
Simmons’ teammate, Donovan Jackson, projects better at guard, but replaced Simmons at left tackle due to injury during the team’s National Championship run. That versatility would go a long way early on and provide a much better outlook for the team going forward.
Defensive Line
This may hurt to read for the Abdul Carter crowd, but once again, this is a good class to address the position. This unit is no longer in dire need with Myles Garrett re-signing and providing an elite presence on the line, but the team has struggled to put legit talent around him to take advantage of his gravity. As things currently stand, that problem will persist in 2025.
They have plenty of bodies available to them to rotate on the interior. Shelby Harris, Maliek Collins, and Mike Hall Jr. should all be capable role players, just not reliable playmakers.
The edge around Garrett is filled with young talent. Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright provide youthful options with a little bit of upside, while Julian Okwara, Joe Tyron-Shoyinka, and Ogbo Okoronkwo will battle it out in camp to determine who can be the best specialist and depth.
Unless a talent prospect slips, the team is in a position to only add more depth to this fuzzy part of the depth chart. I’d expect them to add a defensive tackle, but otherwise, throwing picks at the line may only jam it up more.
Linebacker
Browns leadership has been vague about the recovery of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, one of the team’s exciting young talents who missed the second half of the season due to a neck injury. It’s a scary issue to deal with, and the team’s lack of outward optimism only put a damper on what was already a tough season. As such, we can only assume the worst for now. The Browns will need better coverage linebackers without Owusu-Koramoah, and could still upgrade upon the other spots. Veterans like Jordan Hicks hold down the spot fine, and the team brought in Jerome Baker to compete for a spot, but they remain hold overs until an upgrade presents itself.
There’s hope for Mohamoud Diabate, who found more playing time in his second season. He may be relied on early and often to determine if he can be a mainstay. He may also be the Browns’ best bet, as this is another position where the draft is thin. Assuming Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell is gone well before pick 33, only a handful of off-ball linebackers are worthy of a day two selection. UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger is the popular pick, as is South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight Jr.
However, I might pass on the position this year. Hoping for the best with Owusu-Koramoah, it may not be a long-term issue to solve, and some short-term veterans can be counted on for the upcoming season. The defensive line in front of them should be the priority on defense, with a majority of the draft dedicated to the offense.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: NFL draft: Browns’ biggest positional needs to fill this weekend