We're not always going to agree with mock drafts and big boards leading into the 2025 NFL Draft, as these things fluctuate with new information about players or with the NFL combine set to make certain players' star rise or fall.
A recent big board done by The Athletic covered the current top 100 players heading into the draft, and the Cleveland Browns happen to have four picks within the top 100 of the draft. With two picks in the third round courtesy the Buffalo Bills and their trade for Amari Cooper, Cleveland's spoiled for options.
However, this big board - assuming each team takes the best available player in the draft at their spots in the draft - presumes that Cleveland will go a very unique route with how they draft players this April.
Browns take zero quarterbacks, three defenders based on new big board
The Athletic's updated big board, pieced together by national NFL writer Dane Brugler, comes two days after the Super Bowl wrapped and the Philadelphia Eagles managed to pancake the Kansas City Chiefs with their defensive line. That might be why defenders have gotten quite a boost in Brugler's board. And, that's why it seems like Cleveland would be taking so many in this draft.
At No. 2 overall on the board is Penn State defensive lineman Abdul Carter. Carter, seen as the best defender in this draft, would either slide in next to Myles Garrett on the Browns' D-line, or attempt to do the impossible: replace Garrett. The defender's size might be a downgrade from Garrett, but he's extremely explosive, and can shake games up almost as much as Garrett can with his pass rushing.
Read more: Browns going for Aaron Rodgers would seal Myles Garrett's fate with team
At 33rd overall - which is where the Browns are taking a player in the second round - Brugler has Ohio State's defensive tackle Tyleik Williams listed. Williams isn't a pass rusher like Carter, but he's an excellent run defender. That was actually a positive area for the Browns in 2024, so he'd just be adding onto an already solid run defense that exists in Cleveland.
At 67th overall, Brugler has another defensive tackle listed - Toledo's Darius Alexander. At this point, you are probably thinking, there's absolutely no way the Browns take not just two D-lineman, but three. You'd probably be right - Cleveland has to take a quarterback in this draft because of how thin they are at that position headed into 2025. Taking three defenders would be greedy.
But, Alexander is one of the better D-lineman in this draft, and he saw his star rise after an excellent Senior Bowl performance. His size - a 304 pound, 6'4" frame - would be a punch on a Browns D-line in need of additional force outside of Garrett and Carter, hypothetically.
Finally, at 94th overall, Brugler named wide receiver Isaiah Bond. Brugler says in his brief profile of the Texas playmaker that he's a "wild card," and that despite his athleticism, he's too unreliable to be slotted higher in the draft. That's valid, but to then not list a reliable receiver Flike Xavier Restrepo anywhere on this big board throws a bit of a wrench in the ranking.
Bond would be a fun addition to the Browns' offense. He was similar to Cedric Tillman as it pertains to his role within the offense for Texas, but with more speed and twitchiness in the open field. That would be a welcome wrinkle to Cleveland's offense which is sorely lacking some speed on the edges.
Again, Cleveland will not draft like this - taking best available player on a big board of someone else's creation. But, it's still very interesting to see what someone like Brugler sees as the order of talent in this upcoming class - not many quarterbacks, and a ton of defenders.