Browns 2025 NFL Draft big board: Players to consider at positions of need

Sports

add

The NFL Draft begins Thursday with the Tennessee Titans at No. 1. The Cleveland Browns have the No. 2 overall selection, 10 total picks and a long list of needs.

Are the Browns’ plans as simple as going playmaker, quarterback, then best available lineman? How highly do they value adding a running back or defensive tackle? Do they love any of their realistic quarterback options, or do they just simply need to take a chance on one?

We’ll soon start to get answers to some of these questions. Here in the home stretch, we’ll quickly detour from our endless quarterback analysis and start focusing on the other areas Cleveland figures to address over the first three rounds. For this version of the big board, we’re looking mostly at players who fit the Browns’ plans on the first two days of the draft — and specifically on those who might fit Cleveland at Nos. 33, 67 and 94.

If you’re new to the draft conversation or have spent most of the last couple of months focused on the latest Browns quarterback search, consider this a quick cheat sheet for catching up. Ahead of both Day 2 and 3 of the draft, we’ll update these lists with more of a focus on specific needs and potential fit of each target.

For full rankings and bios on these prospects, check out “The Beast” by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. And bookmark it, too, to make sure you’re ready for the weekend.

Up first

The Browns seem certain to select either Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter at No. 2.

In Hunter, they’d get a player with rare ball skills and big-play ability. The exact plan for preparing and featuring Hunter isn’t certain, but he’s been clear that he wants to play both sides of the ball. Browns general manager Andrew Berry has said the Browns view Hunter as a wide receiver first, but he would use him on defense as well.

There’s no exact blueprint for how Cleveland would use Carter, either, but his addition would give the team an area of strength in its pass rush. In March, the Browns signed 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to an extension that runs through 2030 after he publicly requested a trade.

Is there any chance the Browns can convince another team to love Hunter as much as Berry seems to? If they did trade out of No. 2, would they move down and target a quarterback? Or, might they want a left tackle or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham instead?

Hunter is probably the pick, but at least a bit of uncertainty remains.

Quarterback

Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Tyler Shough, Louisville
Jalen Milroe, Alabama

We’ve written about them extensively. The four we know the Browns worked out and visited privately are listed above in order of Brugler’s rankings. As we’ve previously noted, some NFL executives believe Dart could go ahead of Sanders, but no one’s really sure where these passers might land.

At No. 33, the Browns hold the first pick of the draft’s second night. That selection has been traded in three straight drafts, twice by teams using it as part of a deal to get back into the first round, and in 2023 to move eight spots back. The Browns could trade back into the first round, but it’s unlikely they’d give up their 2026 first-rounder to do so. There even seems to be a chance that Sanders or Dart could make it to the second round, but that could make for some nervous moments late Thursday night.

The New York Giants at No. 3 are not only one spot behind the Browns in the first round, but they’re also at No. 34 in the second. If bidding for a quarterback trade spot opens in the late 20s, the Browns might have to move to avoid the Giants passing them.

These obviously aren’t the only quarterback options for the Browns. But with Cam Ward considered a lock to go No. 1, these are the passers the Browns seemed to spend their attention and extra research on in late April/early May.

Offensive line

Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
Donovan Jackson, OT, Ohio State
Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
Cameron Williams, OT, Texas
Marcus Mbow, OG, Purdue
Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary
Wyatt Milum, OG, West Virginia

The Browns have four starters for 2025 in place and Dawand Jones penciled in as their left tackle, though he’s recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. But the future of the line is unclear with guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller and center Ethan Pocic all entering the final year of their current contracts.

Historically, left tackle is a position best addressed early in the draft. The Browns re-worked the contract of right tackle Jack Conklin to keep him, and he has been good when healthy. But Conklin will be 31 in August and has a lengthy injury history, so tackle depth is a screaming need even if Cleveland doesn’t address it early.

Simmons and Conerly almost certainly will go in the first round, but both should be considered real possibilities for the Browns should they slip. Simmons is coming off a knee injury, but his talent has teams intrigued. Conerly is young (21), athletic and feels like the kind of long-term answer Cleveland may be seeking.

Jackson moved from guard to left tackle after Simmons’ injury in October. He’s going in the late first or early second, and his position versatility should be viewed as a plus. He’s one of a handful of prospects on this list who the Browns might consider trying at tackle with guard as a long-term fallback plan.

Defensive line (Carter excluded)

Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M
Oluwafemi Oladejo, Edge, UCLA
Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee
Jack Sawyer, Edge, Ohio State
Landon Jackson, Edge, Arkansas

Nolen, Stewart and Pearce are likely first-round picks, but all come with questions. If any of the three should fall out of the first round, the Browns might face an interesting decision at No. 33. If Carter goes at No. 2, the Browns probably are done adding to their edge group in this draft. In either case, continuing to try to build a scary defensive line seems to be in their best interest.

The state of the Cleveland defensive tackle group is uncertain with Dalvin Tomlinson having been released, Maliek Collins added and Mike Hall Jr. recovering from knee surgery. Shelby Harris is still on the roster for now, though there’s no guarantee the Browns will still employ the 33-year-old or edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo (30 this week) by September.

Farmer is the kind of pass-rushing defensive tackle the Browns have valued in recent years. With Okoronkwo’s status uncertain and Alex Wright recovering from injury ahead of the final year of his rookie contract, the Browns could use a mid-round selection on another edge rusher — even if they don’t start their draft with Carter. Like Carter, Oladejo was an off-ball linebacker who moved to edge full time and has become an interesting draft prospect.

The Browns are likely going to add at least one young defensive lineman, and possibly two this week. But whether those additions start in the first round or fourth remains to be seen.

Offensive skill players (Hunter excluded)

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

Can the Browns take a running back in the second round given their needs at quarterback and across both lines? At No. 33, that answer is definitely no — and that probably means they aren’t going to get a shot at Henderson, Johnson or Judkins.

Might Milroe become the best runner the Browns add this week? Will they prioritize the quarterback position? Do the Browns view tight end as a more pressing need than they might view wide receiver? If Hunter is the pick at No. 2 and is primarily a wideout, might Cleveland wait until the last day of the draft to add another offensive playmaker?

A Hunter-Jerry Jeudy combo would give the Browns big-play potential in a receiving corps that also includes Cedric Tillman. David Njoku is entering the final year of his contract, and the rest of the tight end group is pretty barren, while Jerome Ford is the No. 1 running back ahead of the final year of his rookie contract. Even if Nick Chubb ends up returning, the Browns have to think about the future at running back.

In this group, as much as any other (excluding quarterback), we’re all still wondering if Cleveland values immediate fit and instant impact over a longer-term outlook. Before we know anything, we’ll have to see if the Browns start their draft with Hunter and then make someone to throw to the Heisman winner their next move, either at No. 33 or following a trade to get their preferred passer.

(Photo of Jaxson Dart: James Gilbert / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Man Utd given encouragement Cunha keen to join

News Story

Next

trending_flat

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokić for MVP?: NBA awards ballots, revealed

Sports