The Cleveland Browns are heading into the NFL draft next week with a host of options but one clear directive: They must get better offensively, with at least one new starter and preferably two coming onto the roster. The Browns are opening the offseason program with a notable hole at left tackle, as well as a hole–probably two–in the wide-receiver room. The team is expected to address both with their No. 6 and 24 picks this month, though it is possible they could trade to different spots on the board to do so.
The focus of the NFL free-agent period for the Browns, to this point, has been the remaking of the offensive line, with three new players brought in and expected to be starters–Elgton Jenkins, Zion Johnson and Tytus Howard. But Howard is expected to play right tackle, with Johnson at guard and Jenkins either at guard or center. Oft-injured veteran Dawand Jones will make a push for the job, too.
But the Browns need long-term solutions and depth up front. They’re going to pick multiple linemen in this draft, with one likely coming in the first round. And a recent report of their Top 30 visits reflects that.
Browns Have Multiple Visits With 1st-Round NFL Draft Linemen
According to May Kay Cabot, the Browns beat writer for Cleveland.com, the Browns held Top 30 visits for three of the highest rated linemen in this draft.
Cabot wrote on Sunday: “The Browns have hosted first-round left tackle prospects Monroe Freeling of Georgia, Kadyn Proctor of Alabama and Caleb Lomu of Utah for top 30 pre-draft visits, with Freeling coming in two weeks ago and Lomu and Proctor on Thursday, sources tell cleveland.com.”
She also reported that Markel Bell of Miami was a Top 30 visit for the Browns.
NFL Draft Forces Tough Choice on Left Tackle vs. Right Tackle
For the Browns, what is interesting about the triumvirate of Freeling, Proctor and Lomu is that all three were left tackles in college–but they’re not necessarily the best linemen in the draft. That raises the question of positional flexibility when it comes to what the Browns are looking for on the line. Coach Todd Monken and GM Andrew Berry have professed a willingness to draft a young right tackle and move him if necessary, but it is one thing to say that in a press conference a month before the draft, and quite another to follow through on it with a pick.
Many consider Francis Mauigoa of Miami or Utah’s Spencer Fano as the best blockers on the board. But both are right tackles.
True, the Browns could move Howard to the left side–he played there some last season. But Howard has said he was told he would play right tackle by the Browns. And Jenkins has played left tackle in his career, but that was for a mere eight games, in 2021. Only desperation should force the 30-year back to the outside.
Browns Eyeing Fast-Riser?
Increasingly, it looks like the Browns could just play it safe and grab a left tackle in the first round. If they wait until No. 24 for that pick, it will probably be Proctor or Lomu. But they could gamble on the relatively inexperienced Monroe Freeling with No. 6–he probably won’t be around at No. 24.
ESPN, in fact, has Freeling as a major leaper in the NFL draft this year. In an article titled, “2026 NFL draft risers: Seven prospects climbing boards,” Freeling was the first player listed.
Wrote the site’s Jeff Legwold: “He has rare fluidity in his lower body for a player his size and should be able to add more strength since he won’t turn 22 until July. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.93 seconds, has 34¾-inch arms and moves like a tight end in space. Freeling also showed quality ability to react to inside counters from rushers, recover, get his feet right and win the play.”
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