The Cleveland Browns have five picks slated for the 2024 NFL draft after they gave up a fifth and a sixth round pick for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. As they enter the draft in a couple of weeks, they will come on the clock for the first time with the 54th overall pick in the draft.
But let’s face it, is there a position on the roster that would see significant playing time in year one if drafted with the 54th overall pick? Not particularly.
After free agency, the Browns brought back their entire defensive line rotation, re-signing Za’Darius Smith, Maurice Hurst, and Shelby Harris. They then went out and signed Quinton Jefferson to replace Jordan Elliott, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers. They improved their wide receiver room by adding Jeudy to complement Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore as well.
As the Browns look to build a sustainable roster for the long haul, they will continue to draft a year into the future. This was the case this year with the likes of wide receiver Cedric Tillman, defensive tackle Siaki Ika, and defensive end Isaiah McGuire all being eased onto the field. If it weren’t for an injury to right tackle Jack Conklin, the same could have been said for Dawand Jones as well.
With that in mind, what positions stand out on the Browns’ roster as glaring needs by 2025 that the team needs to prioritize in the 2024 NFL draft?
6. Running back
There is still no timetable on the return of Nick Chubb, which is a bit terrifying entering the 2024 season. Given the way the room performed a year ago without Chubb, running back feels like a pressing need as the draft nears.
Jerome Ford was one of the lest efficient backs with the football in his hands a year ago, Pierre Strong proved to be a liability in pass protection while running with little contact balance. Kareem Hunt is still a free agent and a reunion looks unlikely this offseason.
The Browns did, however, sign D’Onta Foreman, who has been one of the more efficient backs when he has seen a heavy workload. The only issue is that he has not seen a heavy workload with frequency throughout his career. Nyheim Hines was also signed in free agency, but he will operate as more of a passing down back and return specialist for the Browns than a pure running back.
While Foreman looks likely to see the bulk of the carries until Chubb returns, the Browns could still want a new, young body in their running back room as well.
5. Linebacker
While linebacker is a need, it’s not a pressing one that must be urgently addressed.
There should be no worries about the status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah as he enters a contract year. Owusu-Koramoah is a player this regime not only drafted, but traded up for, and has developed into the Pro Bowler he is today. The Browns will not let young talent walk out the door.
Devin Bush and Tony Fields II are both not under contract beyond 2024, but undrafted free agent Mohamoud Diabate made the roster a year ago, is still under contract into the future, and is in a position to take those reps if needed.
With Hicks on a two-year deal, the need for a linebacker in the 2024 NFL draft is not as pressing as one would think. However, if that’s the direction the Browns opted to go early in the draft it would not be a shock either as they are in a true position to take the best player available when they come on the clock.
In a slim class, however, the only two names to watch early are Michigan’s Junior Colson and Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper.
4. Tight end
David Njoku has exploded onto the scene after the Browns gave him the keys back to the starting job in 2022. He is still just 28 years old and is not going anywhere anytime soon.
However, the depth behind him is quite slim after Harrison Bryant joined the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. They still have Jordan Akins on the roster for one more year, but he’s also a receiving specialist who is likely not coming back in 2025. Adding Giovanni Ricci in free agency as well, there is no reason to believe he is a lock to make the roster as the guaranteed money on his contract is extremely minimal.
Njoku is the only tight end under contract beyond this season, which is a red flag to put a star by the position as the draft nears.
Look for the Browns to add a talented tight end in the 2024 NFL draft who can be that No. 2 guy in 12 personnel looks. They have already visited with Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders, who could be a target on Day 2 of the draft. Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott would fit like a glove and be a name worth circling.
3. Defensive tackle
The Browns have decided to run it back with the same defensive line they had a year ago. And with the success they had upfront, why wouldn’t they?
Maurice Hurst was brought back on a one-year deal, and Shelby Harris was also re-signed. Additionally, the team replaced the departing Jordan Elliott with Quinton Jefferson, who should be penciled in to start next to Dalvin Tomlinson.
Hurst and Jefferson are on just one-year deals, however, leaving the door wide open for a defensive tackle to be drafted this year. Not only could one be drafted, but that player could potentially be thrust into the starting lineup in 2025 should both Jefferson and Hurst move on after the season.
The contract of Tomlinson is not extremely mobile after this season, so the likelihood he remains in Cleveland in 2025 is high. Harris did sign a two-year deal, but he is a rotational player who will stay in that role as he nears the end of his career.
While the Browns have a solid room in 2024 with Tomlinson penned in to return in 2025, there are quite a few scenarios where an overhaul is in the picture after this season.
Ohio State’s Michael Hall is a key target to put a star next to when looking at this defensive tackle class on Day 2, but Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro and LSU’s Mekhi Wingo also fit the bill.
2. Offensive Tackle
One of the larger talking points this offseason in Cleveland has revolved around having three starting offensive tackles on the roster currently. However, two of them are not under contract beyond this season, and swing tackle James Hudson III is also slated to hit the open market after the season. The Browns also signed Hakeem Adeniji, but he is no lock to make the roster and is on just a one-year deal.
Dawand Jones is not going anywhere. He’s a staple at right tackle, but the bookend across from him is up in the air entering 2025. Jedrick Wills could break out in 2024, but after four years of inconsistent play, we are in a position to believe it when we see it.
This makes offensive tackle a high priority for the Browns. And they have been maneuvering pre-draft like they know it. Both Yale’s Kiren Amegadjie and BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia have been in Cleveland for top-30 visits on the heels of the draft, and there is reason to believe they are not the only ones.
1. Wide receiver
Yes, the Browns just traded a pair of Day 3 picks to acquire and subsequently extend wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
However, looking at the long-term future of the wide receiver room in Cleveland, the outlook is still quite murky. Amari Cooper, while an extension is still possible, enters the last year of his contract. Elijah Moore, barring a breakout season this year with the Browns, is also in the last year of his deal and the odds of a reunion shouldn’t be banked on. Even with the extension, Jeudy is no surefire long-term piece of the wide receiver room.
The offensive weapons in Cleveland could flame out quickly if names like Cedric Tillman and David Bell do not take massive strides this season. And Bell himself is not even a lock to make the roster. Adding a wide receiver, and adding one early, is firmly on the table for the Browns in 2024.
Florida State’s Keon Coleman is a trade-up candidate for the front office as he checks every box they look for. Some other names to watch out for on Day 2 include Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley, and Alabama’s Jermaine Burton.
