NFL mock draft 2025: Browns finally pick in Round 1, land stud LT

With the 2024 NFL Draft behind us, this feels like the right time to look ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft. Okay, so it might be considered "way-too-early" to look ahead but that's what we do when we love the draft. And for the Cleveland Browns, there should be more excitement in the future since they're finally going to have a pick in Round 1.

This past draft marked the final time they will be sending any of their selections to the Houston Texans due to the 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson. Adam Schefter tweeted out the final details which don't look great for the Browns at the moment.

That could all change if Watson stays healthy but the fact that we're in year three and still have so many questions is discouraging.

On a brighter note, the front office has built a deep enough roster that they've withstood the loss of their star quarterback. That depth should improve more now that they have all their picks again. Let's now jump ahead and see what they might be able to accomplish with these selections with this three-round 2025 mock.

Browns Round 1 Pick: Kelvin Banks, Jr, OT, Texas

Jedrick Wills is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal and he's been a dissappointment. Injuries have played a part in his struggles but to date, he hasn't looked the way Cleveland hoped when they took him at No. 10 overall in 2020. He was kept around in 2024 and they restructured his deal to open up $10 million but it's hard to see Wills on the roster beyond this year.

Enter Kelvin Banks, Jr. from Texas. One of the top returning tackles this year, Banks has been a fixture at left tackle for the Longhorns since 2022. At 6-foot-4 and 324 pounds, he has the size to match up on the left side and won't have to learn a new position the way Wills did.