Browns load up on stars in 3-round 2025 NFL mock draft

After three years of waiting, the Cleveland Browns are finally set to have a pick in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2025. It's safe to say at this point the Deshaun Watson trade hasn't produced the desired results but the team still found a way to build one of the best rosters in the league.

That's why Cleveland extended general manager Andrew Berry and two-time NFL Head Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski this offseason. Despite not making a pick until Round 3 in 2022 and 2023, the Browns found young talent to include Martin Emerson, Jr., Dawand Jones, Cedric Tillman, Alex Wright, and Ronnie Hickman.

Now, they hope to see 2024 second-round pick Michael Hall, Jr. emerge as a leader of their defense in the near future. But perhaps with selections in the top 32 once again, they can find more players who can make a difference on day one, which is what happens in this three-round 2025 NFL mock draft.

Round 1: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

The Browns have a lot of talent at wide receiver with Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman. However, both Moore and Cooper are in the final year of their respective contracts. Both would love to land extensions and Cooper is in the midst of a holdout currently as he aims for one.

Cleveland wants to keep him around but any deal would be a short-term fix at the position since he's already 30 years old. A long-term solution would be to select Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka, which is the direction they take in this mock.

Egbuka stands 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds and is the next in a long line of impressive OSU wideouts. He needs to bounce back from his 2023 campaign after gaining 515 yards in 10 games but his 1,151-yard season in 2022 showed how dangerous he can be.