Earlier this week, before the Cleveland Browns put a merciful end to their three-plus week head coach search, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his 2026 mock draft 1.0, and it included more than a few wild-cards. Among the biggest was the Browns selecting David Bailey — the edge defender from Texas Tech — with the sixth overall pick.
That one definitely had Browns fans chuckling. Cleveland’s defense is stacked, led by the greatest defensive end in modern NFL history. The team just signed Alex Wright to an extension. The team is barren at both offensive tackle and wide receiver.
Had Jim Schwartz been promoted to head coach, the buzz around an ascending talent like Bailey might've been there. But after the Browns officially hired Todd Monken on Wednesday morning?
Not a chance.
The Browns’ first free agent haul of the Monken era could change things slightly, but here in late January, adding offensive game-changers will be the team’s obvious priority on Day 1 of the draft.
And based on how Monken’s offenses typically operate, Bucky Brooks’ latest mock for NFL.com feels a lot closer to the bullseye.
Browns should start the Todd Monken era with a franchise tackle at No. 6
The Browns may not have the best quarterback room in football, but they’ll enter the new league year with some options, at least.
Deshuan Watson, with another contract restructure imminent, figures to be in the mix, now a full year removed from his re-ruptured Achilles tendon. Fans will be anxious to see how Shedeur Sanders looks in Year 2, and while the excitement level fell off a cliff for Dillon Gabriel this year, he’s a fine No. 3 option (at least until he’s eventually traded to Kevin Stefanski and the Atlanta Falcons).
Cleveland could definitely look to add a more mobile quarterback who fits Monken’s scheme — like Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers — but either way, rebuilding the offensive line will be crucial — and it’s going to take multiple moves to get there.
The prudent move would be to land a franchise offensive tackle at No. 6 overall. Given Monken’s propensity to run the football — Baltimore led the NFL in 2025 with a 52.05 rush-play percentage — why not go with the starting left tackle on one of the best rushing offenses in all of college football?
In his first mock draft of the year, Brooks tabbed Utah’s Caleb Lomu to the Browns at No. 6 overall. And with all due respect to his colleague, Jeremiah, this is the kind of prediction Browns fans should be getting behind.
“The Browns desperately need to address their offensive line, which surrendered 51 sacks as a patchwork unit in 2025. Lomu is an athletic edge blocker with the nimble feet and quick hands to effectively shadowbox speed rushers on the blind side,” Brooks wrote.
It’s worth noting here that two offensive tackles, Spencer Fano, Utah's right tackle, and Francis Mauigoa, went inside the top five of Brooks’ mock. The idea here still remains the same. Coming out of this draft with one of the Utah tackles feels like a perfect start.
Lomu could have the edge either way as the left tackle who excelled in pass protection in 2025. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn’t surrender a sack and gave up just eight total pressures in 12 games.
At 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds, he’s definitely not a road-grading run blocker. But the Utes crushed teams on the ground, averaging 266.3 rushing yards per game, No. 2 in the nation. For a Browns team that figures to run the football with young backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, Lomu fits the profile, and his presence would allow Dawand Jones, Cleveland’s lone projected returning starter from 2025, to flip back to the right side, where he excelled at Ohio State.
Could Cleveland fall in love with a wide receiver at this spot and turn the card in? Of course, but the Browns’ chances of finding a No. 1 receiver with the 24th pick is astronomically higher than the tackle position. For what it’s worth, Brooks has the Browns selecting KC Concepcion in that spot, the Texas Tech wide receiver who’s cut from the same cloth as Ravens star Zay Flowers.
There are few sure things in the NFL Draft, but given the expected QB activity at the top, Lomu’s all but certain to be on the board at No. 6 overall. For Monken, this one makes way too much sense to pass on.