The Browns are fresh off an 11-win regular season and a playoff appearance. That doesn't mean they don't have plenty of needs they would like to address with the kind of younger, less expensive talent you find in the draft.
This week, the Browns
will get a chance to fill some of those needs with the six picks they hold
in the NFL draft, which starts on Thursday night. Their first pick won't come until No. 54 overall, which falls late in Friday's second round.
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This is the fourth in a five-part series looking at positions the Browns may target over the course of the draft. It will look at five intriguing prospects — listed alphabetically — at those positions who could be of interest at some point during the draft.
First up on Sunday was defensive tackle
, while it was followed on Monday by wide receiver
and Tuesday by offensive linemen
. Today stays on the offensive trend, only it looks at tight end, where the Browns have one Pro Bowler and a whole lot of questions otherwise.
From the school that produced the likes of George Kittle
and Sam LaPorta
comes the latest tight end off the assembly line in the 6-foot-4, 252-pound All, who actually spent the first four years of his college career at Michigan. While he might not be the class of the tight end class, he may be exactly what the Browns need at the position. All is versatile, with the ability to move around the formation. He's a quality pass-catcher and blocker, which check two more boxes in what the Browns are looking for in a No. 2 tight end. The biggest concern is the ACL tear he suffered last fall, which cost him the second half of his final college season. That's no doubt one of the reasons why the Browns brought in All for one of their 30 visits.
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A.J. Barner, Michigan
Aurora High School graduate Barner spent three years at Indiana, starting 11 of 30 games, before jumping to Michigan last season, where he started nine of 15 games for the national champions. The 5-foot-8, 150-pound high school freshman has grown into a 6-6, 251-pound NFL draft prospect. There's still plenty of room for Barner to develop, something that being in an NFL organization could allow him to do more than even at two Big Ten college programs. The biggest thing for Barner will be how he projects to the next level. Specifically, where could he best fit within the scheme as someone who could still use a little bit more mass to help what is already an solid blocking skillset?
The 6-foot-2, 241-pound Bell is another in a large group of this tight end class who project as early-to-mid day-three picks for one reason or another. However, considering the Browns have their No. 1 tight end already in David Njoku
, what they're looking for if they take one in the draft is someone to fill the Harrison Bryant
shoes. That's where a Bell could thrive despite not being the dynamic receiver that Njoku was coming into the league in 2017 or the class of the draft crop, Georgia's Brock Bowers
, is this year. Still, the former Seminole can catch the football and can block, and does both of those more than effectively.
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Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas
This would likely be one of the bigger swings if the Browns were to take Sanders. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound former Longhorn is viewed by some as the No. 2 tight end in the draft class behind Bowers. That makes Sanders someone the Browns would likely have to go after early in day two if they wanted to land him. They certainly have some interest in him, having spent one of their 30 visits on him. Sanders is a smooth athlete with the kind of speed you like to see for after-the-catch runs. He does need to improve on his blocking, which isn't a deal-breaker by any stretch when one is as athletically gifted as Sanders. It would certainly make the Browns' two-tight ends package very intriguing with Njoku also on the field.
Stover, like Sanders, is one of the tight ends who is expected to go off the board at some point on day two. That may be a tad early for the Browns, depending on how their board is set up and how it's been impacted to that point. Stover would seemingly provide more quality pass-catching skills to the position. Considering he started his Buckeyes career on defense, he also would provide some more depth for special teams. The question, though, is whether or not you utilize one of the two day-two picks on a No. 2 tight end/special teams player.
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal:
Browns NFL draft position needs: Tight ends to watch
