The Cleveland Browns have not had a first-round draft pick since 2021 thanks to the Deshaun Watson trade, but they will finally be back on the board next spring.
So, who will the Browns select in the 2025 NFL Draft?
It’s probably way too early for this considering the 2024 NFL season hasn’t even started yet, but we can’t stop people from speculating, right?
Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team is projecting Cleveland to have the 13th overall pick (which wouldn’t be good news for the Browns’ 2024 campaign, but anyway) and selecting Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Tyleik Williams.
The Browns’ roster is pretty stacked from top to bottom at the moment, so it’s hard to identify actually weaknesses.
However, Cleveland’s defensive line could become an issue moving forward, particularly along the interior. Both Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris are on the wrong side of 30, and Maurice Hurst and Quinton Jefferson will become free agents after 2024.
The Browns did select Mike Hall Jr. in the second round of the draft this past April, but his off-the-field issues are creating a rather uncertain future for Williams’ former Ohio State teammate.
Williams is widely viewed as one of the best interior defensive lineman prospects in the upcoming draft class and probably would have been a Day 1 selection had he declared for 2024.
The 21-year-old arrived at Ohio State in 2021 and made an immediate impact, registering 16 tackles and five sacks during his rookie campaign. After logging 21 tackles and one sack in Year 2, Williams totaled 53 stops, 10 tackles for loss and three sacks last season.