These 5 NFL Draft prospects could raise the Browns’ talent level right away: Lance Reisland’s mock draft

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 2025 NFL draft will be held April 24- 26 in historic Green Bay, Wis., and the Browns will look to rebound from an awful 3-14 season.

To do that, GM Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski, and the rest of the Browns brass will first have to address the roster and position weaknesses.

Beyond the roster, the Browns will need to focus on fixing the mentality and leadership in the locker room, and that starts with bringing in players who are talented and care about the team first.

Cleveland has five picks in the first 104. Let’s take a look at five players that I think make sense for them to select:

Round 1 (No. 2): Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, had an incredibly productive two seasons at Colorado. Sanders demonstrated his elite anticipation and accuracy as he threw for 7,364 yards and 64 touchdowns while completing 71.8% of his passes.

More impressive than the passing numbers, his ability to perform at a high level while under constant pressure was outstanding. That toughness and poise, combined with his skill set, demonstrate the potential for him to succeed at the next level.

Sanders’ ability to play within the structure of Stefanski’s offense makes him a solid choice. Sanders may not be a quarterback you win because of, but he most certainly is a quarterback you can win with.

Round 2 (No. 33): Luther Burden, WR, Missouri

Burden (5-foot-11, 208 pounds) played 38 games in college and totaled 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns. His best season was in 2023, with 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns.

On film, Burden is position-flexible and explosive with the football in his hands.

Though really good at all aspects of being a great receiver, Burden is best with yards after catch (YAC.) Cleveland’s lack of “sudden” or “twitchy” skill players demands that the offense be perfect for 10-12 plays each drive to score points.

Burden would give them a guy who can generate easy yards and explosive plays without anybody helping him.

Round 3 (No. 67): Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green

Fannin had the greatest year in the history of college football for a tight end. The Canton McKinley product had 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Fannin is a big receiver (6-3, 241) who is an elite route-runner with outstanding hands and ball skills. However, the former Falcon’s greatest strengths are his short-area burst and yards after catch. This short-area burst, seen on film, was confirmed with his 1.56 second 10-yard split at the combine.

The Browns are likely to return their offense to more 12 (1 RB, 2 TEs), and 13 (1 RB, 3 TEs) personnel in 2025. That means the Browns will need to upgrade the tight room alongside David Njoku.

Fannin is a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties, especially in space or in the red zone.

Round 3 (No. 94): Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

Players who are drafted on day three of the draft often have physical traits and measurements that translate well to NFL success. Alexander, who is 6-4 and 305 pounds, fits into this category of having these elite skills with a very high ceiling.

The former Rocket finished in the top 10 of every measurement and test at the NFL Combine, along with being the MVP of the defensive line at the Senior Bowl.

On film, Alexander has an incredible base with extreme lower body power and strength. That strength and power, combined with an explosive first step, allows Alexander to consistently walk offensive lineman into the lap of the quarterback.

Alexander is position-flexible player who combines his elite physical traits with outstanding energy and passion. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves depth and athleticism on his defensive line, Alexander brings both.

Round 4 (No. 104): Billy Bowman, S, Oklahoma

Bowman is another ball-hawking, speedy safety (4.42 40-yard dash) with incredible experience, logging 2,499 college snaps. Bowman has a nose for the football with 11 career interceptions. With those interceptions, he had 122 total tackles and 10 tackles for a loss.

He does an excellent job of reading the eyes of the quarterbacks and anticipating where the football will be thrown.

Bowman has really fluid hips that allow him to change direction and cover the field from sideline to sideline. Cleveland needs a safety who can create turnovers, and Bowman is a guy who excels at that.

What we learned

The “swing and a miss” with Deshaun Watson has had a ripple effect on the entire roster, not just the quarterback position. The Browns gave up their first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, along with a third-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-rounder in 2024.

As the current roster ages, the lack of early-round picks has prevented the Browns from finding impactful players and depth on both sides of the football.

The Browns must find high-level, “ready to play now” guys with their first five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Lance Reisland is the former coach at Garfield Heights High School, where he spent 18 seasons as an assistant for his father, Chuck, and four as head coach, from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, his team finished 11-1 and appeared in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals. That team went 10-0 and made history as the first Garfield Heights team in 41 years to have an undefeated regular season along with beating Warren G. Harding for the first playoff win in school history.