CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns general manager Andrew Berry has said in the past that he tries to approach the NFL draft as “need-agnostic” and that he tries to approach things like he’s running an expansion team.
If you’re looking at where the Browns were prior to the 2024 season, that made some sense.
But things need to change for the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft.
A big reason is the idea of complementary football. It’s a phrase Kevin Stefanski has used numerous times throughout his coaching tenure.
The problem for the Browns is that they went 3-14 largely because they didn’t play complementary football.
The biggest reason was the offense wasn’t just bad.
It was historically bad.
Aaron Schatz of FTNFantasy.com wrote after the season that the Browns had the 12th-worst offensive DVOA, which calculates a team’s success based on down and distance of every play, in the history of the statistic, which goes back as far as at least 1978. He added that if you take away the games Jameis Winston started, it would be the worst DVOA offense in the history of that stat.
You can’t play complementary football if one of the two major phases is non-functional. That has a trickle-down effect and puts too much pressure on the defense playing at an elite level to win games.
Clearly, that didn’t happen for the Browns in 2024 and in today’s NFL, you need to have some semblance of quality play on both sides of the ball to be successful.
Obviously, fixing the quarterback play will go a long way to fixing the offense.
But the other thing that should force a change in the Browns’ approach this April is how few early picks they’ve used on offense.
Berry has had five picks in the first two rounds of a draft. He’s used just one on offense: 10th overall pick Jedrick Wills Jr. in 2020.
Expanding it further, of the 14 picks in the top 100 that Berry has made, only five were offensive players. In fairness, he has found a couple starters outside the top 100 in Dawand Jones and Jerome Ford. But this is the time where he needs to change course and invest some high-end draft capital on offense.
Their salary cap situation has restricted who they can add on that side of the ball, and the Browns desperately need high-end offensive talent on cheaper rookie deals.
In the modern NFL, it’s harder than ever to stop explosive offenses. The best way to keep up with them is to try and match them.
It’s no different in the AFC North, which has two of the best quarterbacks in the league in Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
You can’t expect to consistently stop those teams. You need to be able to keep up.
The Browns have a deficiency at quarterback and at the skill positions. With five picks in the first 104 this April, it’s time to fill those needs in the draft.
It’s a departure from what Berry has done in his first five drafts. But it’s something that simply has to happen to make 2024 look like the aberration.
Here is my latest 2025 NFL mock draft. This time, we’re including trades for the first time this cycle.
1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami
Height, weight: 6-2, 223 pounds.
2024 stats: 305-454 (67.2%), 4,313 yards, 39 TDs, 7 INTs.
The Titans haven’t signed a quarterback this offseason. In fact, their offseason moves have been about creating a better offensive line.
Those breadcrumbs say that Tennessee is most likely staying put at No. 1 and taking Ward.
His electrifying arm talent has him ahead of Sanders as QB1 in this draft and it would be a shocker at this moment if he doesn’t go first.
2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Height, weight: 6-2, 215 pounds.
2024 stats: 353-477 (74.0%), 4,134 yards, 37 TDs, 10 INTs.
Momentum feels like it’s trending back to the Browns going with Shedeur Sanders, including what former ESPN analyst Todd McShay said on his show on Monday.
Sanders’ stock has fallen the last few weeks despite him not throwing a pass since the end of the season. I can understand the hesitance when it comes to Sanders because he lacks elite physical tools.
But where Sanders impresses is with the things you can’t easily see in film study: intelligence, work ethic and ball placement. Joe Burrow doesn’t have an elite arm, but he wins with those three tools and took his team to a Super Bowl.
If Sanders can be 80-85% of what Burrow is, it’s worth this pick.
3. New York Giants: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Height, weight: 6-1, 185 pounds.
2024 stats: 96 receptions, 1,258 yards (13.1 avg.), 15 TDs; 36 solo tackles, 4 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 11 pass breakups.
Here comes the first change from my last mock draft.
After missing out on Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, the Giants go for the most intriguing player in this entire draft class in the Heisman Trophy winner.
Hunter can be a legitimate star on both sides of the ball. He truly could be an impact player on either side of the ball in New York if he goes here.
4. New England Patriots: Abdul Carter, edge rusher, Penn State
Height, weight: 6-3, 259 pounds.
2024 stats: 68 tackles, 12 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles.
While it might be disappointing for Carter, who was at one point considered the favorite to go first overall, to fall to fourth, he comes into an intriguing spot in New England.
The Patriots drafted their offensive cornerstone last year in Drake Maye. Carter can instantly become their defensive cornerstone and bolster a group that was last in the NFL in sacks in 2024.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Height, weight: 6-3, 325 pounds.
2024 stats: 45 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7 TFLs.
I was trying hard to find a reason to mock anyone else but Graham to the Jaguars. However, this just made too much sense as I went 5-for-5 in repeating my mock from February.
Jacksonville’s defense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2024, and Graham is clearly the next-best defender on the board.
He fills a big hole in the middle of the Jaguars interior, giving some muscle in the middle of a line that includes Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Height, weight: 5-9, 215 pounds.
2024 stats: 374 carries, 2,601 yards (7.0 avg.), 29 TDs.
This has become a popular pick after the Raiders traded for Geno Smith. Jeanty had a season for the ages at running back and he could instantly become an impact player for a Raiders team that was dead last in the NFL in total rushing and net yards per carry.
7. New York Jets: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
Height, weight: 6-6, 257 pounds.
2024 stats: 104 receptions, 1,233 yards (11.9 avg.), 8 TDs.
Despite the surge from experts of Missouri tackle Armand Membou, I don’t feel like the Jets will go tackle with back-to-back first-round picks. In Warren, they get another explosive pass catcher to pair with Garrett Wilson.
The recent successes of Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers as rookies have shown its easier for tight ends to make impact on Day 1.
8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, edge rusher, Georgia
Height, weight: 6-2, 245 pounds.
2024 stats: 60 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 11 TFLs, 2 fumble recoveries.
This class is tremendously deep at edge rusher and not much separates the group after Abdul Carter. Walker’s progression from linebacker to edge rusher has drawn Micah Parsons comparisons, and his electrifying pass rush is what the NFL’s worst defense needs to start getting back on track.
9. New Orleans Saints: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Height, weight: 6-2, 202 pounds.
2024 stats: 12 solo tackles, 1 INT, 2 INTs, 3 pass breakups.
Johnson’s health has been a question mark since the start of the 2024 season, and that’s caused his stock to gradually slide. Despite those issues, he could be a good fit for a Saints team that lost Paulson Adebo to free agency and the struggles Alontae Taylor has had on the field.
10. Chicago Bears: Shemar Stewart, edge rusher, Texas A&M
Height, weight: 6-6, 290 pounds.
2024 stats: 31 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 TFLs, 1 forced fumble.
Stewart was dominant at the NFL Combine and may have forced his way into the top 12 at the bare minimum, no pun intended. A lack of college production is a concern of mine, but teams like the Bears who could use pass rush help are always willing to gamble on the traits.
11. San Francisco 49ers: Will Campbell, OL, LSU
Height, weight: 6-6, 323 pounds.
Campbell is arguably the best offensive lineman in this entire class, and him falling to the 49ers at 11 might be a dream scenario for them. They lost starting guard Aaron Banks and Trent Williams turns 37 in August. Campbell is likely a guard, but that doesn’t mean a team wouldn’t test him out at his college position of tackle.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Height, weight: 6-5, 212 pounds.
2024 stats: 84 receptions, 1,319 yards (15.7 avg.), 8 TDs.
McMillan has been sliding slowly of late since the NFL Combine. He goes here to a Cowboys team that has bolstered its running game by signing running backs Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams. At 6-5, McMillan’s size might be a great complement to CeeDee Lamb.
13. Miami Dolphins: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Height, weight: 6-3, 220 pounds.
2024 stats: 57 solo tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 pass breakups, 4 INTs.
After a world-class NFL Combine performance, Emmanwori makes a leap up as the first safety off the board in this mock. Emmanwori has the build of a linebacker with the ability to stop the run and defend the pass that is required of a safety.
14. Indianapolis Colts: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Height, weight: 6-2, 235 pounds.
2024 stats: 117 tackles, 5 sacks, 12 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass breakups, 1 INT.
Campbell has clearly cemented himself as the No. 1 off-ball linebacker in this draft class.
Chris Ballard loves his all-world athletes, and Campbell’s 9.87 relative athletic score fits that bill. He covers very well and has the range and tools to be a three-down linebacker.
15. Atlanta Falcons: Mykel Williams, edge rusher, Georgia
Height, weight: 6-5, 265 pounds.
2024 stats: 21 tackles, 5 sacks, 9 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles.
The way this draft shakes out, at least one or two quality edge rushers are probably going to fall to the Falcons at 15. Only the Patriots (28) had fewer sacks last season than the Falcons’ 31, and getting an explosive edge rusher from just down the road in Williams seems like the right play.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
Height, weight: 6-3, 314 pounds.
Membou’s stock is on the rise after a great NFL Combine. The Cardinals are also on the rise and could use another good offensive tackle opposite Paris Johnson Jr. to complete their offensive line. Membou moves very well, and he has enough power to win consistently as a run blocker.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Green, edge rusher, Marshall
Height, weight: 6-4, 248 pounds.
2024 stats: 84 tackles, 17 sacks, 23 TFLs, 3 forced fumbles.
After signing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term extensions, the most likely way for the Bengals to build a defense that’s good enough to complement their offense is to draft guys early.
Green has pretty much pushed himself into a first-round lock after a sensational week at the Senior Bowl. His explosiveness and physicality off the edge made him a stud at Marshall, and those traits should easily carry over into the NFL.
18. Seattle Seahawks: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
Height, weight: 6-4, 320 pounds.
Banks for a while had been considered the best offensive tackle in this draft. But he’s been slipping down the rankings for a bit. His fall is Seattle’s gain, however, as he provides another option at right tackle with Abraham Lucas struggling to consistently stay healthy.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Height, weight: 5-11, 200 pounds.
2024 stats: 46 solo tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFLs, 5 INTs, 11 pass breakups.
Barron, last season’s Thorpe Award winner, makes it back-to-back Longhorns to go in this spot of my mock draft. His playmaking ability could help boost a Buccaneers defense that tied for fourth in the NFL in fewest interceptions (7) and ninth in fewest pass breakups (62) in 2024.
20. New York Giants (projected trade with Denver Broncos): Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Height, weight: 6-2, 223 pounds.
2024 stats: 276-398 (69.3%), 4,279 yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs
Trade details: Broncos trade 20th pick to the Giants for picks 34 and 99 in 2025 and a 2nd-round pick in 2026.
At long last, we have a trade to announce. Joe Schoen needs a young quarterback prospect in New York, and I think he has to at least get ahead of the Steelers to get himself a shot at Dart.
I’ve had reservations about Dart because of his fourth-quarter issues. But I understand why Dart is appealing.
He has the physical tools you look for in a top-end quarterback, a lot of experience and great intangibles. Dart will need time on the sideline to adjust to a more complex offense in the NFL than he ran at Ole Miss.
As for the Broncos, they get a nice haul including the 34th pick in a draft where there isn’t much difference between players taken in the 20s and the 40s.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: James Pearce Jr., edge rusher, Tennessee
Height, weight: 6-5, 243 pounds.
2024 stats: 38 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 13 TFLs, 1 forced fumble.
It was awfully tempting to mock Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in this spot to the Steelers, especially if they don’t end up with either Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. But for whatever reason, it doesn’t feel like a Steelers move.
The textbook Steelers pick here is to bolster their pass rush with T.J. Watt turning 31. Watt had 11.5 sacks in 2024, which is actually the fewest he’s had in a season that he’s played at least 15 games in since his rookie season in 2017 (7).
Pearce’s explosive athleticism and length makes him an intriguing fit in a 3-4 base, and he can be a situational pass rusher early in his career in Pittsburgh.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Height, weight: 6-5, 245 pounds.
2024 stats: 56 receptions, 582 yards (10.4 avg.), 5 TDs.
It’s been an offseason of transition for the Chargers offense. They continue that by reuniting Loveland with his college head coach Jim Harbaugh and adding a high-end offensive threat from the tight end position for Justin Herbert.
23. Green Bay Packers: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Height, weight: 6-3, 339 pounds.
2024 stats: 32 tackles, 3 sacks, 7 TFLs.
The Packers like going defense in the first round, so I have them taking the other stud Michigan defensive tackle here at pick No. 23. Grant was overshadowed by just how great Mason Graham is, but he is a strong defensive tackle who is tough to move and plays with a lot of power.
24. Minnesota Vikings: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
Height, weight: 6-1, 205 pounds.
2024 stats: 52 solo tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 INT, 3 pass breakups.
This isn’t a great safety class. But Starks, who is not the first safety to go in this mock, is still worthy of a first-round pick, and he’s a great fit here after Harrison Smith turned 36 years old in February.
25. Houston Texans: Donovan Jackson, OL, Ohio State
Height, weight: 6-4, 315 pounds.
After trading Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders, the Texans pretty much need to use their first-round pick on offensive line help.
Jackson was already one of the top prospects in this class because of his play at guard. But after how well he played at left tackle when Josh Simmons went down with injury, he clearly proved he could also play tackle in the NFL.
Ultimately, he’s likely going to be a key piece of an offensive line whether he’s a guard or tackle. The Texans could use both, and Jackson is a good building block for their line.
26. Los Angeles Rams: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
Height, weight: 5-11, 183 pounds.
2024 stats: 15 solo tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 4 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles
The Rams continue their defensive transition with another first-round pick by selecting the electrifying Hairston, who earned himself some money by running the 40-yard dash in a 2025 NFL Combine best 4.28 seconds, including a 1.5 10-yard split. He will need to get stronger, but his high-end athleticism and ball skills should help him find success.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
Height, weight: 6-5, 325 pounds.
The Ravens just set an NFL record for most yards per carry (5.8) in a single season. So why not just continue to feed into that identity by adding a guard to fill a hole on the left side of the line?
Booker was a physical, imposing offensive lineman for the Crimson Tide, starting 26 games over three seasons and earning second team Associated Press All-American honors in 2024. He plays with great power, but he also has a good football IQ to go with it.
28. Detroit Lions: Nic Scourton, edge rusher, Texas A&M
Height, weight: 6-4, 285 pounds.
2024 stats: 37 tackles, 5 sacks, 14 TFLs, 1 forced fumble.
Scourton’s production took a step back after transferring from Purdue to Texas A&M in 2024. But his size, versatility and athletic ability is worth the pick at this spot as the Lions look for help opposite Aidan Hutchinson after letting Za’Darius Smith leave in free agency.
29. Washington Commanders: Donovan Ezeiruaku, edge rusher, Boston College
Height, weight: 6-2, 247 pounds.
2024 stats: 80 tackles, 16.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles.
Ezeiruaku broke out in 2024 for BC and became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year with sensational numbers. The Commanders made some smaller deals to bring in some pass rush help, but the explosive and long Ezeiruaku could be just what their looking for as a young prospect to add up front.
30. Buffalo Bills: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
Height, weight: 6-3, 305 pounds.
2024 stats: 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 14 TFLs.
I had this pick in my latest mock and I’m sticking with it once again. The Bills have committed some resources to their defensive front, including signing Joey Bosa and Larry Ogunjobi. Nolen is an explosive interior lineman and has been a big-play maker, earning first team AP All-American honors in 2024.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
Height, weight: 6-5, 310 pounds.
The Super Bowl showed that the Chiefs need to continue to find help for their offensive line. Simmons made a big step in his growth in 2024 before a knee injury at Oregon ended his season. The Chiefs can afford to be patient with him and let him get healthy, allowing them to potentially reap the rewards down the road.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Height, weight: 6-4, 313 pounds.
2024 stats: 45 tackles, 5 sacks, 11 TFLs, 2 forced fumbles, 4 pass breakups.
After losing Milton Williams to free agency, the Eagles can just draft his replacement in what is a very good defensive tackle class. Harmon was a stud at Oregon after transferring in from Michigan State prior to the 2024 season. He’s long, strong and plays with plenty of power.
33. Cleveland Browns: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Height, weight: 6-1, 205 pounds.
2024 stats: 81 receptions, 1,011 yards (12.5 avg.), 10 TDs.
The Browns need to give whoever their quarterback is in 2025 and beyond some more playmakers.
They would enter Day 2 in great position to potentially trade down and try and turn their later sixth-round picks into another pick in Rounds 3 or 4. But in this scenario, they dive back into their recent Ohio State pipeline to draft Egbuka.
Imagine if Ohio State cloned Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and you pretty much have Egbuka. His fluidity and ability to separate should help him succeed and quickly become a reliable target in the Browns offense going forward.
While Texas’ Matthew Golden and Missouri’s Luther Burden III might be more explosive players, it’s easy to trust in Ohio State receivers these days.