It’s NFL mock draft season, and this is a pivotal one for the Cleveland Browns, who seemingly have endless scenarios to navigate the board.
It seems like that could be said every year, but the Browns are beginning a new era with Todd Monken as head coach. They have Shedeur Sanders, a consensus top-20 prospect from last year, expected to start at quarterback. If Sanders isn’t able to lock down the starting job for the foreseeable future, they’ll hope to have an elite infrastructure in place for a quarterback in 2027.
Using the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator to put myself directly in Andrew Berry’s shoes, here’s how I filled out the roster around Sanders during an adventurous seven rounds.
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Round 1, Pick 15 (via Buccaneers)
The Buccaneers leaped up the board for EDGE David Bailey, which I didn’t mind at all, knowing I must secure a left tackle in the first round. There’s just not one worth No. 6 overall. We also got No. 46 and No. 116 in this trade back.
After moving back, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor is someone already linked to Cleveland as high as that initial draft slot. Proctor is a 6-foot-7, 352-pound behemoth who also, somehow, put up a 32.5-inch vertical jump at the combine.
While some of Proctor’s tape shows uncoordinated movement between the two halves of his body, there are also a ton of reps of him easily stonewalling Power 4 pass rushers. I think he’s the best left tackle in the draft and ranks No. 13 overall on my final board.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Round 1, Pick 28 (via Eagles from Texans)
Howie Roseman was all over the board in the first round, showing how realistic the simulator can be. He slid back to No. 28 with Houston but ultimately offered it back to Cleveland for No. 24. In exchange, we cashed in the 146th overall selection for 68th overall later in the draft.
At either spot, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren would be an interesting use of the Browns’ second pick. Cleveland badly needs an upgrade in the nickel, and McNeil-Warren seems to be the latest instinctive, aggressive “big nickel” entering the NFL.
Andrew Berry rarely has forced positions of need, so I doubt this would be a wide receiver in a scenario where Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, and Omar Cooper Jr. are off the board, especially with two more top-50 picks to come.
Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon
Round 2, Pick 39
It’s a run of “Emmanuels” for the Browns. This time, the offensive line rebuild continues as we add a stalwart on the inside.
I have a first-round grade (No. 30 overall) on Emmanuel Pregnon, who has excellent footwork and hand placement while wielding an above-average size for the position. His tape is clean, and there’s an underrated mean streak in his finishing after the whistle.
The emphasis has to be on securing protection and the depth of that protection for a quarterback, Sanders, who showed flashes of brilliance when given time to throw. I’m just not overly concerned with forcing weapons when Jerry Jeudy and Harold Fannin Jr. are present. We’ll draft a receiver next, though.
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
Round 2, Pick 46 (via Buccaneers)
Jeudy can be an explosive downfield playmaker, but he’s not overly versatile and can be inconsistent in play-finishing and catching the ball. Germie Bernard is the perfect complement to him.
Bernard’s positional versatility fits like a glove for the modern NFL, spending nearly equal time at all three traditional wide receiver positions with the Crimson Tide. He’s a reliable route-runner with solid hands. There’s just not a lot of juice or flash to his game like other prospects in this tier.
There’s now adequate weaponry for Sanders, considering the Browns will definitely be a run-first team after drafting Proctor and Pregnon, who do their best work through the ground game.
Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Round 3, Pick 68 (via Eagles from Jets)
The simulator forecasted a mammoth slide for Caleb Banks, who would be a no-doubter for the Browns at this selection considering their balance of need and upside at defensive tackle.
Banks is definitely a candidate to go much later than expected because of a foot injury coming off an inconsistent, injury-plagued year in Gainesville. He’s one of the 20 most physically gifted players in the draft, but there are a lot of questions when also factoring in inconsistent effort and leverage on tape.
The Browns’ 2025 draft class was excellent, freeing them to take this sort of risk for a defense that is already great. The best of Banks paired with Myles Garrett on the same defensive line could be absolutely special.
Dametrious Crownover, OT, Texas A&M
Round 3, Pick 70
Getting Tytus Howard via trade from the Texans gives Cleveland a “serviceable” option at right tackle. Dametrious Crownover would be a long-term investment at the position.
Crownover’s tools are outstanding. He’s 6-foot-7 and 319 pounds with 35 3/8-inch arms. That’s arguably the best combination of size and length in the draft, and he’s got the feet to make it count.
However, the tape is a total adventure. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor absolutely tortured him in the College Football Playoff, and his hands are often out of position, getting blown by or drawing holding penalties.
Not much was expected of him before a good week at the Senior Bowl, so perhaps the development process is underway. Thankfully, he’d be under no immediate pressure to start for the Browns.
Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
Round 4, Pick 107
Andrew Berry’s “secret sauce” last year was drafting productive, experienced players. He’ll be in the mix for Daylen Everette on Day 3 if that formula is used to derive the best option for cornerback depth.
Everette played 55 games, including a lot of big ones, in Athens, and he forced 6 turnovers in his last two campaigns. However, he overtrusted his experience and ability, taking unnecessary risks and getting burned in the process. When recovery is probably his weakest trait, taking fewer risks at the pro level will be a must.
Some were shocked by Everette’s 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the combine. I think it shows up on tape. This is a player that wouldn’t be out to lunch if he had to spell Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell in the pros right away.
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
Round 4, Pick 116 (via Buccaneers)
I didn’t even realize this until the draft was over, but I used all three of the Buccaneers’ acquired picks on Alabama players.
This one is a player that Proctor is used to seeing snap the ball. Parker Brailsford, an early declare at center, would probably be disappointed by a Day 3 selection, but he’s just not the largest (6-foot-2, 289 pounds) guy when factoring in some really notable moments of concern against dominant nose tackles on tape.
Overall, Brailsford is an experienced technician who also started for the Washington team that finished as a runner-up to Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines. He’s quality center depth for a Browns squad that signed Elgton Jenkins last month.
Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati
Round 5, Pick 149
Inside 20 yards, there might not be a more polished receiving tight end in the class than Joe Royer.
Seldom used in a run-first offense under Scott Satterfield, Royer was Cincinnati’s primary weapon out of the slot but only caught 29 passes. I see smooth routes, a knack for holes in zone coverage, and pillow-soft hands.
Though having the size to be a quality blocker in the NFL, his leverage and footwork are a bit disappointing right now. Plus, there’s not much of a vertical element to his game.
Every analyst prefers different flavors in a polarizing tight end group, but I still think he’s a Day 2 prospect that the Browns would have nabbed in the fifth round.
Fernando Carmona Jr., OG, Arkansas
Round 6, Pick 206
The consensus rankings in the simulator are sleeping on Fernando Carmona Jr.
You can never have enough offensive line depth in the NFL, and Carmona should be a target of any team if he falls this far, just as I said in my seven-round mock draft for the Jaguars.
The Arkansas product’s feet are lightning quick as a converted tight end, and he ranked 12th in the country in PFSN’s CFB Player OL Impact metrics in 2025. Play strength and use of his technique to play longer are things he can improve upon in the pros, but this is phenomenal value.
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Mikail Kamara, EDGE, Indiana
Round 7, Pick 248
There aren’t many 6-foot EDGEs making a great living in the NFL, but Indiana’s Mikail Kamara is a relentless competitor on every down with a fairly deep array of moves. I’m willing to spend a late pick to see if he can keep defying the odds.
Kamara had 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024 between James Madison and Indiana at two different levels of competition. Those numbers can fluctuate, so dropping to 2.0 sacks in 2025 wasn’t overly concerning when you still see plenty of disruption on tape as a leader of the national champions’ defense.
He wasn’t invited to the combine because there aren’t many examples of successful pass rushers at his height and arm length, but Elvis Dumervil had 105.5 career sacks with a similar frame. At this point, there’s no risk to seeing if he can help the rotation on the other side of Garrett.
