By the time the NFL Scouting Combine arrives in Indianapolis each February, the league’s juiciest storylines tend to be rooted in conjecture.
Team leaders tend to speak in generalities. Company secrets are kept close to the vest. The future of pending free agents, trade candidates, and draft prospects lingers, but we’re all just guessing until the league’s tampering window arrives on March 9. Ditto for Day 1 of the NFL Draft on April 23.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken made the media rounds in Indy on Wednesday, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport may have fed him some truth serum prior to their sit-down interview for The Insiders.
Monken didn’t call out any prospects by name (thankfully), but he might’ve just told Browns fans what to expect at pick No. 6 overall this year.
“Gotta build it up front," the coach said. "That’s it. I mean, it starts up front. It starts in the trenches on both sides of the ball.”
Browns’ goal for No. 6 couldn’t be clearer after Monken’s comments
It’s still late February, so as usual, there’s plenty of room for interpretation here. Rapoport didn’t specifically ask Monken about the draft. He asked him about the team’s focus for the offseason. Monken also specifically mentioned the trenches on “both sides of the ball.”
But Browns fans shouldn’t have to squint to see what Monken’s hinting at here. Cleveland used last year's No. 5 overall pick on defensive tackle Mason Graham. Maliek Collins was one of the best interior tackles in football in 2025 before suffering a season-ending quad injury. The Browns also extended both of their edge rushers, pairing Alex Wright with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett through at least 2028.
Monken’s obviously talking about the offensive line, which if Joel Bitonio opts for retirement, could be down to the injury-plagued Dawand Jones and top reserves Teven Jenkins and Luke Wypler for 2026. It would not be a surprise to see the team add tackles, guards, and a center this offseason.
Zooming in specifically on the No. 6 pick screams one position group in particular: offensive tackle. Landing a Day 1 starter on a rookie-scale contract would be ideal, and the Browns should be able to land one of the top prospects, either Miami’s Francis Mauigoa or Utah’s Spencer Fano, with their first of two Day 1 selections in this April’s draft.
Monken’s comments won’t stop draft experts from mocking wide receivers like Carnell Tate, or defensive game-changers like Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles, to the Browns in their spot.
But Monken hasn’t been one to beat around the bush so far as Cleveland’s head coach, and it sure feels like his team’s focus on “the trenches” will extend beyond the first wave of free agency next month.