Browns Digest

Notable Outlet Has Browns Going O-Line In Way Too Early 2025 Mock Draft

After not having a first-round pick for the third straight year, predictions are already being made about how the Browns will use their first rounder next year.

Spencer German

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Kendall Milton (2) celebrates scoring a
Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Kendall Milton (2) celebrates scoring a / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Browns will finally have a first-round pick again in 2025 after trading the last three years worth of firsts as part of a package for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Despite the fact that the 2024 NFL Draft just wrapped up a mere two days ago, many outlets are already looking ahead to next year's draft and making predictions about who teams will draft. The USA Today released its Way Too Early 2025 Mock Draft and in it, the Browns select an offensive tackle with their first, first-round pick in four years.

Georgia tackle Earnest Greene III ends up being the selection for Cleveland at 25th overall. The reasoning behind it read:

The Bulldogs could see one of their offensive tackles called on Day 1 for the third consecutive year with Greene, who holds down the left side for Georgia. The Browns might soon need to reshuffle their protection plan for Deshaun Watson with left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. entering the final year of his deal.

The Browns are facing a precarious situation at both tackle spots over the next year. As they ramp up for the 2024 season, they're in an enviable position of having three starting caliber players to bookend their offensive line. Between Wills, veteran Jack Conklin and 2023 fifth-round pick Dawand Jones, they are ripe with options for those two jobs.

As noted in the piece, 2024 is setting up to be a massive year for Wills, who is in the final year of his rookie deal. His inconsistent play to this point hasn't necessarily inspired confidence from the franchise to give him an extension.

Aug 17, 2020; Berea, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) works on
Aug 17, 2020; Berea, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) works on / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

That could pave the way for Cleveland to pivot and find a new, young tackle to protect Watson's blindside moving forward. There's also a chance that Conklin is no longer with the team beyond next season as well, opening the door for a rookie like Greene and Jones to be the starters on either end of the O-line.

At 6-foot-4, 320 pounts, Greene was a steady presence on the Bulldogs o-line in 2023 as a redshirt freshman, starting 13 games. With another year of experience under his belt this upcoming fall, it's expected that he'll become one of the highest rated offensive line prospects of next year's class.

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Spencer German

SPENCER GERMAN

Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland. Despite being a Cleveland transplant, Spencer has enjoyed making Northeast Ohio home ever since he attended college locally at John Carroll University, where he graduated in 2013.