Cleveland Browns top 30 pre-draft visit tracker: Defensive line depth could be on the way

Every year, teams are allowed to bring 30 prospects in for pre-draft visits and sometimes the list of players can give a hint toward future draft plans. Other times, you can look back and see they decided to go in a completely different direction — which is what happened in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns.

Names mentioned as pre-draft visits included wide receivers Christian Watson and Treylon Burks, tight end Greg Dulchich, and running backs James Cook and Rachaad White. They wound up with just one reported defensive back, which was Chase Luca of Arizona State.

In the end, the Browns, who were already without a pick in Round 1, dropped out of the second round and started things off with a cornerback as they took Martin Emerson. They did end up with a pass-catcher as well in that round, bringing in David Bell from Purdue.

So in the end, there were small hints about their plans and that could be the case once again in 2023. With the draft quickly approaching, some of the pre-draft visits have become known for Cleveland and while it's split down the middle between offense and defense, it's easy to see they want to bolster the line of scrimmage.

Cleveland Browns top-30 visits

Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
Karl Brooks, DT, Bowling Green
Gervon Dexter, DT, Florida
Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Tank Dell, WR, Houston
Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State QB
Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Juice Scruggs, C, Penn State
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

The Browns are clearly still looking to improve their defense which is why they're meeting with someone such as Trenton Simpson, who is a Swiss Army Knife on that side of the ball. However, they also know they need to get stronger up front if they want any linebackers to show off their skill.

Cleveland already landed Dalvin Tomlinson but could look to bring in a rookie defensive tackle as well. Both Karl Brooks and Gervon Dexter are intriguing names and came into the Combine over 300-pounds.

As it stands now, the Browns have eight picks in the upcoming draft and it wouldn't be a shock to see them focus heavily on defense once again. But they could also look to add more speed on offense, which is why a visit with Tank Dell also makes plenty of sense.