Three-Round Browns Mock Draft: Cleveland Browns Trade Back To Fix Offense

One week before the NFL combine, here's a quick three-round mock draft for the Cleveland Browns.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL Combine gets underway next week in Indianapolis, and the Cleveland Browns have 10 selections.

The Browns will have two first-round picks, No. 6 overall and No. 24 overall, after last season’s draft day trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Unless the team falls in love with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, the Browns won’t have a huge runway to find their quarterback of the future. It’s much more likely that the team uses this upcoming draft to stockpile young offensive talent while preparing for the 2027 NFL Draft’s quarterback class.

Here’s a first stab of what the first three rounds could look like for the Browns ahead of the combine next week.

No. 15 overall (via mock trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Makai Lemon, WR, USC

In this mock draft simulation, talent flew off of the board once the Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza to kick things off. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was the No. 2 overall selection to the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals selected Carnell Tate at No. 3 overall. That led to the Tennessee Titans selecting wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and the New York Giants picked Arvell Reese.

The Buccaneers acquired the No. 6 pick, which they used on Miami EDGE Reuben Bain Jr. They also received No. 70 overall and a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Browns in exchange for No. 15 overall, No. 46 overall and their first-round pick in 2027.

At No. 15, the Browns selected Makai Lemon, the speedy receiver out of USC, over Utah’s Caleb Lomu, who was still available after his teammate Spencer Fano was selected earlier on.

While Lemon might be undersized, he’s a dynamic playmaker with the football in his hands and fits what new Browns head coach Todd Monken will be looking for. Since the Browns missed out on Tate and Tyson, they added a future first-round selection while snagging the third-best receiver in the class.

No. 24 overall (via Jacksonville Jaguars) Monroe Freeling, LT, Georgia

Freeling is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-7. But more importantly? He actually plays left tackle.

Under Browns general manager Andrew Berry, the Browns have been too liberal moving offensive linemen around to unnatural positions. This would let Dawand Jones start at right tackle, his natural position.

Monken has connections to Georgia from his time as their offensive coordinator. Freeling would immediately be projected to start at left tackle for the Browns.

No. 39 overall Chase Bisontis, iOL, Texas A&M

At some point, the Browns will select a defensive player. But Joel Bitonio’s future is up in the air. Even if he decides to return, the Browns need to replace him at some point, and right guard Wyatt Teller is a free agent, also.

Bisontis started ten games at left guard for the Aggies before sustaining an injury. He was able to return later in the season as a reserve. During his two seasons with the Aggies, Bisontis logged 1,167 offensive snaps while contributing to an offensive line unit that allowed just 1.77 sacks per game in 2024. He’s a versatile guard that has also played tackle and was PFF’s third-ranked offensive line prospect.

No. 46 overall (via mock trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers) Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

In the mock trade with the Buccaneers, the Browns landed another second-round pick since they traded No. 70 overall to Tampa in order to land next year’s first-rounder.

The Browns can’t use all of their draft picks on offensive players. The team has a need for a nickel cornerback, but Miami’s Keionte Scott might be too old for Berry, as the redshirt senior will turn 25 before Week 1.

Thieneman would be able to take over at free safety and give the Browns a contingency plan if they decide to move off of Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman after the 2026 season. He played two seasons at Purdue where he had six interceptions as a freshman. He transferred to Oregon for his final college football season, snagging two more interceptions. There's no guarantee that he'll be available this late into the second-round, as he's viewed by some as the best safety prospect other than Downs.

We'll have more accurate Browns mock drafts following our coverage from the NFL Combine.

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