One Browns Rookie With the Best Chance to Surprise Everyone

With training camp on the horizon, here's one rookie who's ready to make some noise.

Jun 11, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Austin Barber (58) during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Browns were aggressive in targeting their positions of need in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking an offensive tackle in Spencer Fano earlier, along with selecting two wide receivers in the first two rounds.

Those wide receivers, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, will definitely get tons of playing time in a room that needs the help. There is a Browns rookie who seems to be flying slightly under the radar in terms of what impact he could have on the position group he’s in ahead of training camp.

That rookie is third-round pick, offensive tackle, Austin Barber from Florida. 

The position where Barber is going to play is still up in the air, as Fano projects to be on the left side along with newly signed left guard Zion Johnson. The left tackle is where Barber played the majority of his snaps with the Gators, while he also did get some work on the right side. 

Right now, he is listed behind Tytus Howard as the backup right tackle, but the position with the most questions around it on the offensive line is right guard, where Teven Jenkins is currently slated to be the guy. 

When talking about Barber, head coach Todd Monken suggested that he is viewed as a tackle but also believes that he can move inside. The bookend with Barber playing guard is his ability to move defenders around in the run game, creating seamless lanes for backs to run through. 

Barber ranked second among the 632 tackles in college football last season in run-block grade, according to PFF. 

Barber can also play his way into being the first lineman off the bench, which might not seem like an important position, but with Cleveland’s inconsistency and injury history on the line, it may be one of the most crucial spots. 

He could fill the role of swing tackle; he’ll be competing with Dawand Jones and KT Leveston for the job. In comparison to Jones and Leveston, Barber has a great athletic profile, as he scored a 9.84 out of 10.00 on the Relative Athletic Score. Standing at 6’7 and weighing 320 lbs, he showed great athleticism in speed and jumping at the combine. 

Cleveland also traded up to get Barber, giving up picks 105, 145, and 206 to Los Angeles to get to pick 86. Andrew Berry obviously liked Barber a lot to give up some draft capital to go get him, so don’t be surprised if his playing time jumps.