The Cleveland Browns had a horrible time of it on offense in the 2025 season.
Age and injuries combined to turn the offensive line, once the envy of the league, into one of the weakest units.
The wide receivers added little to nothing on game days, unless two touchdown receptions from your “No. 1 wide receiver” gets your motor running.
The quarterback play was the worst in the league as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders combined to put up first-year numbers not seen since the last millennium.
There were bright spots, of course, most notably from rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. But everything else? Pretty much a big mess.
Fortunately, the Browns have 10 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, including two in the first round and five of the first 70 selections, to start filling some of the holes on the offensive side of the ball.
Cleveland may not be able to fix the quarterback position, given that the draft class appears to be weak after presumptive No. 1 selection Fernando Mendoza, but there should be a nice group of wide receivers and offensive linemen to entice general manager Andrew Berry when the Browns are on the clock.
Knowing all that, it is a bit odd to see NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah go in a different direction in his first mock draft of the year, where he has Cleveland adding more firepower to the defense by selecting Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey at No. 6 overall:
Cleveland should take the best player available here. A receiver could also be in play, but Bailey has the best get-off of any pass rusher in the draft. Alex Wright is a solid player who signed a contract extension in November, but Bailey is a different caliber of player. Myles Garrett would have some talented running mates up front.
Adding another weapon to pair with Garrett sounds like fun, but there are some who question whether or not the 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Bailey can be a three-down player, which is something one would presumably want from such a high draft pick.
It also overlooks the fact that, as good as Cleveland’s defense can be, it doesn’t do much if the offense can’t score any points. And with wide receivers Carnell Tate (Ohio State) and Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) still on the board in this mock draft, it seems dubious that Berry would go with a defensive player.
Jeremiah does address the offensive line with Cleveland’s second first-round selection at No. 24 with Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor:
Proctor is an enormous human. If the Browns can keep Dawand Jones healthy, they would have a massive duo at tackle.
Enormous is an appropriate way to describe the 6-foot-7 and 366-pound Proctor, who is described by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein as a lineman “capable as a move blocker but shines when rolling downhill as a bona-fide people mover with bulldozing power.” But Proctor is also inconsistent in pass protection and a bit slow to react against defenders with a quick first step.
While it may be the correct pick position-wise, is Proctor really the right player? Especially with Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu still on the board in this mock draft. (And the amount of hysteria from Browns fans about Proctor being “another Jed Willis” simply because he played at Alabama would be exhausting. Because “you don’t draft off of a helmet” only applies when talking about quarterbacks from Ohio State.)
What do you think, Browns fans? Does this mock draft get you fired up, or would you have Cleveland go in a different direction? Share your thoughts in the comments.
