The Cleveland Browns began last year with four of the five offensive linemen who were ranked #3 in 2023. That was Week 1. To begin the final game, the only player left was LG Joel Bitonio, as the remainder were backups and practice squad guys.
And so, Browns GM Andrew Berry made it his mission to change this. After hiring a new head coach who is an offensive guy, the first thing on the agenda was to gut the line, trading for one, signing some seasoned veterans in free agency, and then bringing in a few
young guys through the draft.
RELATED: BROWNS PICK OT AUSTIN BARBER AT #86
The Browns jumped out of the gate by selecting Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano to man the left tackle spot in Round 1 with the #9 overall pick. Berry then took Florida OT Austin Barber in the third round and C Parker Brailsford of Alabama in the fifth round.
When the Browns were on the clock with the #9 pick, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry had his choice of offensive tackles because none had been taken yet. His choice was Spencer Fano of Utah.
Barber was part of a very good offensive line at Florida that featured Jake Slaughter at center, who was taken with the 63rd pick.
Seven offensive tackles were taken in the first round, and two guards. Two centers and one guard were selected in Round 2, and only one tackle was chosen before Barber heard his name called. That means he is not just a backup or a probable practice squad guy.
Who is Barber? Didn’t the Browns already draft an offensive tackle? And this one cost them. Cleveland had traded away their only third-round pick at spot #70 and was preparing for Round 4. Then they traded back up into Round 3 with the Los Angeles Chargers for pick #86 and nabbed Barber.
The trade went down like this: The Chargers traded that pick to Cleveland in exchange for a fourth (#105), fifth (#145), and sixth-round (#206) selections in this year’s draft.
Beginnings
Barber grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was a basketball standout at Trinity Christian Academy. He also played offensive line in football. As a senior, his team won the State basketball championship. Barber grew up with two older stepbrothers and an older half-brother. Recently, he became engaged.
As a senior, his school won the Class 3A State Championship. Barber was named to the Florida Times-Union Super 11 Team and voted to the 2020 FloridaHSFootball.com Class 3A All-State Football Team.
He had a ton of offers from Miami, Ole Miss, Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Tulane, North Carolina, Minnesota, Bowling Green, Kent State, Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Utah, Pittsburgh, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, Louisville, Virginia Tech, UCF, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, FIU, South Florida, Illinois, UConn, Eastern Kentucky, Marshall, Auburn, and Mississippi State.
Listed at 6’-7”, 300 pounds at this level, Barber lined up at left tackle. He committed to Minnesota, but de-committed in November. He then announced he was going to Florida.
High School accolades:
- Four-star prospect by rivals.com
- First Team Class 3A All-State Football Team
- Florida Times-Union Super 11 Team
Barber redshirted and then played in all 13 games in his freshman season with five starts. He did play two games at right tackle. He was a member of the offensive line that blocked for 594 yards and five touchdowns at Tennessee. He then made the All-Freshman Team.
His Pro Day results:
Height: 6’-7”
Weight: 318 pounds
Hand: 9 5/8”
Arm: 33 1/8”
Wingspan: 81 3/8”
40-yard dash: 5.12
10-yard shuttle: 1.77
3-cone: 7.34
225-pound bench press: 22 reps
Vertical jump: 32”
Broad jump: 9’3”
College games: 47
College snaps: 2,685
College accolades:
- Third Team All-SEC
- 2025 Phil Steele Fourth Team SEC All-Conference
- Freshman All-American Team
- Four-time SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
- SEC First-year Academic Honor Roll
- 2025 Outland Trophy Watchlist
- Senior Bowl invitee
Follow on social media:
Twitter: @AustinBarber
Instagram: @austin.barber58
What should Browns fans expect from Barber?
Do not for one second think Barber won’t at least try to compete for the starting left tackle position. This year. Barber started 33 games at left tackle and two games at right tackle for Florida and was a two-and-a-half-year starter. In his junior year, his pass blocking grade was 70.9. His final year was 82.2. Finished with the top Pro Football Focus run block grade for the Gators at 90.3. He will compete for a starting position in his first camp, but if nothing else, he will provide great depth at both tackle positions. He provides a quality blocker who has every opportunity to win the starting left tackle job, although the Browns also drafted Fano for this position.
Why He Could Succeed:
Barber is quick off the snap and consistently beats defenders to the spot. This kid is a class act, soft-spoken, full of high character, and the type of player winning teams have on their roster. He is very durable and played in 47 games in a tough conference while at Florida.
When he gets clean hands on his defender’s chest plate, Barber latches on and will not relent. Despite being a big man, he is able to get to the second level and find linebackers and seal off. He uses jump sets on play-action to crowd the runner’s path. He is able to seal off the outside track. Balanced slides. Good foot quickness. He is known for his elite run-blocking ability.
Why He Could Fail:
His hands have a bad habit of landing too high at times. This gives the defender a clear lane to work underneath his punch. He doesn’t bend his knees enough at the contact point. This makes his pad level rise, and then he loses leverage. Will give way to bull rushes. Also has an issue with spin moves. Barber has to clean up his punch timing and lower-body technique.
