The Cleveland Browns refused to address their offensive tackle depth last year in the draft. That mistake came back and haunted the team throughout the season. Jedrick Wills hardly played all season and Dawand Jones was unable to stay healthy.
Jack Conklin was able to play at a relatively high level, but he missed the first five games as well. The team can't afford to pass on this position group again. Luckily for the Browns, there are several options to help address their depth at the position as well as their future at the position.
Josh Simmons
It's hard to get a good feel on where Josh Simmons will get drafted. Some experts have him going in the first round, while others have him sliding into the second round, due to only being able to play in six games this past year.
Simmons is an athletic tackle that is able to be effective no matter what type of running scheme a team will use. He has also shown the ability to play either left tackle or right tackle.
While the Browns might not want to take a player coming off of a non-contact injury at a position that has already been ravaged by injuries, Simmons would be an amazing talent. Dane Brugler of The Athletic believes that Simmons had a strong case to be the best offesnive tackle prospect in the year's draft until the injury.
This could be a situation like a few years ago where the Browns capitalized on Grant Delpit sliding in the draft due to his injuries his last year of college.
Josh Conerly Jr
Like Simmons, Josh Conerly is an extremely athletic tackle. Oregon ran a lot of different running concepts and Conerly was able to be succesful. This should translate to the next level, no matter what team he ends up on. Conerly has only played left tackle, but has been durable and played in 41 games during his collegiate career, starting in 28 of them.
He is currently projected to be a fringe first round draft pick that could slide into the second round.
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Conerly could make a lot of sense for the Browns. He has shown the ability to play left tackle, allowing Dawand Jones to go back to right tackle where he primarily was in college.
It allows the team to have depth this year at the position and to have a plan for the future with the uncertainty of Jack Conklin's status on the team next year after his contract was reworked this offseason.
Josh Conerly is one of my favorite options at 25
— Jordan Pun (@Texans_Thoughts) April 3, 2025
Day 1 ready pass protector with Pro Bowl tools. Great athlete, room to add muscle to frame, 34” arms, 21 y/o, 5-star and no. 1 OT recruit
Great on screens but more of a zone than gap/power run blocker
pic.twitter.com/fgzQLUNy1P https://t.co/cuj0GQd0Jq
Ozzy Trapilo
Ozzy Trapilo is bigger than both Simmons and Conerly, coming in at just over 6 ft 8 in. Even at his big size, he has shown an ability to more effectively with a RAS of 8.88. Trapilo played all over the line during his time in college where he started at left guard, right guard, left tackle, and right tackle.
Trapilo might not have the high upside as Simmons and Conerly, but he has the experience to be useful all over the offensive line. This would be a great depth piece for the Browns to pursue and should still be available in the third round. If Trapilo is unable to turn into a starting tackle, he has all of the tools to turn into an extremely useful swing tackle.