Ah, the Browns. No other NFL team has a lower projected win total from the oddsmakers, with Cleveland’s 2025 over-under at 4.5 wins and a massive, fully guaranteed contract still owed to injured QB Deshaun Watson. Kevin Stefanski will be coaching with his job on the line in 2025 and there are positional needs all over, including at quarterback.
Cleveland has 10 picks, one short of the NFL high entering the draft, but five of them are in the sixth and seventh rounds. So it might make sense to consolidate and use any of the four sixth-rounders to move up a bit. We won’t project trades in this mock, but if the Browns pass on a quarterback at No. 2 overall, we could definitely see them packaging picks to move up from No. 33 and get back into the first round for a passer, especially if the right one falls past the Steelers at No. 21.
First round, second overall: CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
It has been a long and painful search for the Browns, trying to land a franchise quarterback, and Baker Mayfield’s success in Tampa only adds to the frustration of a terrible decision to invest so much in Watson. Even with all that, this isn’t a great year for quarterbacks, so the Browns take a surer thing in Hunter, that rare athlete who can help on both sides of the ball. He’ll probably have a bigger impact on defense, where he can step in as a corner bookend with Denzel Ward, but Cleveland sorely needs help at receiver, so even in a moonlighting role, Hunter could easily finish second on the team in touchdown receptions behind Jerry Jeudy.
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Managing a two-way player’s physical workload and finding the right rhythm of when to play him on offense and whether to take him off the field on defense is a largely unprecedented challenge in today’s NFL, but Stefanski will find creative ways to use Hunter all over the field.
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Second round, 33rd overall: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
With Watson having torn his Achilles again, quarterback is obviously Cleveland’s most glaring and central need. So it would make sense for the Browns to trade up into the first round if the goal is to land a prospect like Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. That could mean trading into the teens ahead of Pittsburgh at No. 21, or less likely trading into the 20s if Pittsburgh passes on Dart. It’s reasonable to think that Nos. 33 and 67 (maybe with a sixth-rounder) could get the Browns to Denver at 20 to jump ahead of the Steelers, but we’ll keep this mock simple and trade-free.
Milroe is a tempting dual-threat quarterback, running a 4.4 40 at his pro day, and he’s a full three years younger than Louisville‘s Tyler Shough, another option in this range. Cleveland has a good stopgap measure in place with Joe Flacco if a rookie isn’t immediately ready. Milroe isn’t the passer that Jayden Daniels was for Washington as a rookie, but the idea of an elusive runner who can learn and grow in the pass game could be intriguing. Absent an aggressive trade back into the first round, Milroe is a good potential match.
Third round, 67th overall: WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
Even with Hunter helping out, receiver is a major need for Cleveland to make life easier for a rookie quarterback. Royals is an electric playmaker, with 15 touchdowns in 2023 before missing much of last season due to injury. With speed and the ability to make people miss in the open field, Royals could easily step into the role formerly held by Elijah Moore, who remains unsigned as a free agent.
Third round, 94th overall: RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
From a name recognition standpoint, Skattebo is as exciting a third-rounder as you’ll find. He had a huge 2024 season for Arizona State, with 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns. The lack of elite speed — he ran a 4.65 40 at his pro day — is why he’s still available in the third round in what looks to be a deep class of running backs, but he’s good enough to pair with Jerome Ford and upgrade the position, and maybe sell a zillion jerseys as well. This is the pick acquired from the Bills for receiver Amari Cooper, who had only two touchdowns in 11 games in Buffalo and remains unsigned as a free agent.
Fourth round, 104th overall: T Chase Lundt, Connecticut
He’s from the same Texas high school that produced Myles Garrett and would give Cleveland a long-term plan for whenever Jack Conklin is done at right tackle. Lundt was a four-year starter for UConn, has good size at 6-foot-7, 304 pounds, and wouldn’t need to do much as a rookie as long as the starters stay healthy. On a team with this many needs, you want to invest in the line of scrimmage often.
Sixth round, 179th overall: edge Que Robinson, Alabama
With the first of four sixth-round picks, we’re looking for value with a shot to stick on the 53. Robinson, who turns 24 in May, emerged as a senior last fall, getting seven sacks after totaling 2.5 in his first four years in Tuscaloosa. He’s long and lean and was a core special-teams player for Alabama, so he’ll be in position to contribute there as any backup edge rusher should.
Sixth round, 192nd overall: TE Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech
This is essentially a free pick, acquired from the Bears for defensive tackle Chris Williams, who never played a snap for Cleveland. The Browns haven’t re-signed tight end Jordan Akins and could use more of a blocking presence at the position, so we’ll pair them with Hawes, a Yale grad who went to Georgia Tech as a grad transfer. He’s never had so much as 200 receiving yards in a season, but he’ll bring size to the position (6-foot-4, 253) and can stick as a third tight end.
Sixth round, 200th overall: S R.J. Mickens, Clemson
Another experienced college player, Mickens played 60 games with the Tigers. He ran the 40 in 4.49 seconds and was a solid blitzer with 10 tackles for loss in his last two seasons. Safety is probably a greater need for Cleveland than this pick, but Mickens would provide depth and can help on coverage units. As an added bonus, his father, Ray, played one season for the Browns in 2005.
Sixth round, 216th overall: LB Carson Bruener, Washington
Another NFL legacy — Bruener’s father, Mark, played tight end in the league and works in the Steelers‘ scouting department. Carson is 228 pounds and runs a 4.58 40, so he can cover ground and had 300-plus tackles in college. He also had three interceptions as a senior. A sixth-rounder will make or miss the roster on special-teams value, and he can help there as well.
Seventh round, 255th overall: WR Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas
Not quite Mr. Irrelevant, as there are two more picks after this one, but it’s close. Armstrong has a small-school background, with 13 touchdowns in a breakout year at East Texas A&M before two validating seasons at Arkansas. He’s 6-foot-3, runs a 4.51 40 and is coming off a 1,100-yard season in the SEC, so he’s not a bad end-of-draft flier.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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