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 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 third 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
, followed on Monday by wide receiver
. Today looks at offensive line prospects with the Browns in the market not only for quality depth but potential replacements as their own starters age.
Tackle, depending on your perspective, is either a spot of depth or a spot of dearth for the Browns. Three starters at the position return next season from season-ending injuries, and of the three backups at the position who have started at least 15 games each, two have at least six playoff starts under their belts. All of that is the wind-up to the pitch on Amegadjie, the player many have tied to the Browns as a potential day-two pick. The 6-foot-5, 323-pound Ivy Leaguer has already talked to the Ivy Leaguers in the Browns organization as one of their 30 pre-draft visits, so it's clear he's on their radar. The scouting report on him also sets up nicely along the Browns' timeline, as a raw rookie projected as a left tackle in the NFL. Cleveland saw how the Dawand Jones
project worked for the team a year ago, even if Jones was thrust into the mix earlier than expected. Amegadjie could be that same player on the left side of the line.
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If you broke down the Browns' depth chart, as of this publication date, you could talk yourself into the area on the offensive line where they're most thin — the interior. Beyond Pro Bowlers Joel Bitonio
and Wyatt Teller
, the only true interior backups are Michael Dunn and Luke Wypler
, who's more center than guard. Cohen, a 6-foot-4, 324-pound 21-year-old, is the first guard to come up on the list, although he's likely a day-three pick. He's been on the Browns' list, though, having also been one of the 30 visits. The big interior lineman started his college career playing at Alabama — serving as a backup left tackle as a freshman before starting 25 of the 26 games in which he played in 2021-22 at left guard — but transferred to Miami for his final season last year. He projects as a backup, at least initially, which fits perfectly into the timeline the Browns may have for the guard position behind Bitonio and Teller.
Giovanni Manu, University of British Columbia, tackle
This is a mountain of a man, one who is also relatively raw comparative to others going through the draft process. Manu, who's of Tongan descent, stands a towering 6-foot-8 and weighs 350 pounds. Now, just imagine a scenario in the near future where Manu lines up at left tackle and Jones, who's all of 6-8 and 374 pounds, takes his position at right tackle. That would be a challenge for any opposing pass rusher, no matter the level of skill either have already developed. He'll need that time for sure, as Wills plays next season on his fifth-year option and with no indication a long-term deal is imminent. It would certainly make for an interesting potential roll of the dice for general manager Andrew Berry either in a late round of the draft or as a undrafted free agent. The Browns have had him in for a visit, a sign they're at least kicking the tires.
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Puni may be one of the more intriguing offensive linemen in this draft. The 6-5, 321-pound 24-year-old is viewed as one of the top guards in the draft, but he's also one of the oldest ones in it as well. That would certainly not match up with a timeline that extends more than a year or so down the road. However, the benefit Puni provides is a versatility. He projects as an interior lineman, either at guard or center, but can play tackle as well. At the Senior Bowl, he played all five line positions during the week. That's a kind of value that makes up for the age.
There's a group of about a half dozen tackles who are seen as the top-of-the-line, first-round talents. The one who is at the top of the list of the group right below those six is Suamataia. The 6-4, 326-pound former Cougar is still relatively young coming into the draft, having just turned 21 in mid-January. That would perfectly align with the possibility of Wills not getting an extension beyond this season, although Suamataia isn't solely a left tackle. In fact, of his 23 career starts at BYU, he made 12 starts at right tackle and 11 at left. So there's good balance there for him to potentially become, if nothing else, a swing guy who can be counted on in a pinch. The Browns know about him and wanted to know more, so much so that they brought him in for one of their 30 visits. Will they bring him in on day two of the draft? That's to be determined.
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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: Offensive linemen to watch
