When it comes to the NFL Draft, the hope is always that the team has drafted instant contributors and hidden gems. It's well-understood in football fandom, though, that it's not always reasonable to have those expectations for players outside of the first round. As a general rule, the later a player is drafted, the lower the expectations, at least early on.
When the Browns traded up to grab Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber in the third round, few expected him to be an instant asset. The 23-year-old was the Gators' right tackle in 2022 before switching to the left side over the last three seasons. Seeing as the Browns drafted presumed left tackle of the future Spencer Fano in the first round, Barber playing on the left side was never going to happen.
After playing — and struggling a little bit — at right tackle in preseason Week 1, Barber was shuffled inside to right guard. The results, at least according to Pro Football Focus, have been astounding. As a reminder, PFF considers an 80-89.9 grade to be "high quality / good" and anything above 90 to be elite.
Austin Barber's impressive preseason may have accelerated his Browns timeline
In Week 2 of the preseason, Barber led all offensive players for Cleveland with an 87.3 offensive grade against the Buffalo Bills. That was encouraging, especially considering it was his first competitive action on the interior offensive line in college or the pros. Against the New England Patriots, he turned things up a notch and again led the pack, achieving a 90.2 offensive grade.
While it has been assumed that Teven Jenkins and KT Leveston are the primary contenders to complete the Browns' offensive line at right guard, Austin Barber has emerged as a legitimate contender. Steve Palazzolo, formerly of PFF and now of the Check the Mic show, posted a clip of Barber stealing a Patriots defender's soul in open space that drew plenty of eyes and gave a glimpse into what Barber is capable of.
General manager Andrew Berry may have a welcome problem on his hands. In the NFL, it's a rarity that any team can ever comfortably say they have too many quality offensive linemen. Still, the Browns might be there. The cutdown deadline is fast approaching, and one area where Berry will have to make some tough decisions is along the offensive line.
Barber is unquestionably safe, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that a lineman-needy team may be willing to part with a draft pick for one of the Browns' reserves. Fans should keep an eye on Leveston, third-year man Zak Zinter, and fourth-year tackle Dawand Jones as primary trade candidates.
While the phrase "it's a good problem to have" gets thrown around a lot, this might be the rare case that it's true. Austin Barber is providing value to the Browns in a multitude of ways. While we will always exercise caution when it comes to preseason performance, it's safe to say Barber has exceeded reasonable expectations. At this rate, it shouldn't surprise fans one bit if he's on the field sooner rather than later.
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