2025 NFL Mock Draft: Browns 7-round mock projection bids Deshaun Watson good riddance

The Cleveland Browns are currently projected to land the number two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nobody in Cleveland, especially in the front office, expected the Browns to be as bad as they are right now. This can heavily be attributed to their $300 million QB, Deshaun Watson.

The Browns landed a playoff appearance with Joe Flacco under center last year, but they currently have one of, if not the worst, offense in the league. It's left many wondering if the Browns are ready to try their best to move on from Watson. With a top-five pick in the draft, they will have the opportunity to draft his replacement and at the very worst induce a QB competition in 2025. But with the way Watson has this offense going, they would be drafting his replacement.

Here's the Browns' 2025 mock draft that bids Deshaun Watson good riddance from Cleveland.

Round 1: QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

If the Browns are going to move on from such a high-paid signal caller, they better be doing it for the right quarterback prospect. Right now, Shedeur Sanders is the top QB in the class and he looks like he should translate very well to the NFL.

Sanders is an elite talent with incredible arm talent. He has the ability to scramble and make plays down the field even when his offensive line is falling apart around him. There are some concerns with his character, but I feel like those concerns are nit-picky and often blown way out of proportion. Sanders is an incredible talent, and he would be far less trouble off the field than Watson.

Round 2: WR Tre Harris, Arizona

I want to preface that this projection absolutely could change. Tre Harris has been one of the best wide receivers in college football this season and if he continues trending this way, there's no way that he won't go in the first round.

Harris has incredible size, ball skills and catch radius. He's one of the best-contested catchers in the country. On the season, he has 59 catches, 987 yards and six touchdowns. These numbers will only get better as he continues to dominate college corners.

Round 3: DL Howard Cross III, Notre Dame

Howard Cross won't blow anybody away with his measurables, as the 6-foot-1, 290-pound interior defensive lineman is a bit undersized for the NFL level.

But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in competitiveness, technique, leverage and motor. There are few players in the draft that play as hard through the whistle as Cross does. He has an exceptional pass-rush ability that, given his technique, should translate well to the NFL level. He would fit very well in the Browns' 4-3 front.

Round 4: LB/S Sonny Styles, Ohio State

There's a chance that Sonny Styles will return to Ohio State next season in order to try to raise his draft stock. He reclassified in high school to land at Ohio State a year early, which makes him very young to be draft-eligible.

Styles also moved from safety to linebacker this season, so he's still very raw playing in the box. But, he's an elite athlete that will blow away scouts at the combine. If he enters the draft this season, the Browns could take a chance on the physical specimen, Sonny Styles, who grew up in a small town in central Ohio.

Round 6: RB R.J. Harvey Jr., UCF

R.J. Harvey Jr. is one of the quickest and most explosive running backs in the country. He will likely be a star at the NFL combine, though he is a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, 208 pounds.

The UCF running back is averaging over 6.0 yards per carry on 108 attempts this season. He's found the end zone 11 times in six games with nine coming on the ground and two coming through the air. He may not have the physicality that most NFL backs have, but what he lacks in physicality, he makes up for with speed and acceleration.

Round 6: OT Micah Pettus, Ole Miss

Micah Pettus from Ole Miss is more of a project offensive lineman than anything, which bodes well for the Browns team that already has a solid group of linemen.

Pettus has the physical traits and the size to be a day-one starter in the NFL, but his discipline and technique often cost him. He's penalized often and his agility is often overmatched by elite speed rushers. If the Browns want to take a chance on a project, Pettus is their guy because his frame and strength are both great tools.

Round 6: IOL Jake Slaughter, Florida

Jake Slaughter is one of the better pass-blocking interior offensive linemen in college football. There are very few interior defensive linemen who can successfully chase his quarterback, specifically when he finds himself in one-on-one situations.

But he's not an elite run blocker, which could be a big con for the Browns. But, in a draft where the Browns have already picked a new quarterback, the priority should be keeping him upright and adding an elite pass-blocking center would be a perfect pick for Shedeur Sanders and the offense.

Round 6: CB Cobee Bryant, Kansas

Cobee Bryant isn't an elite cover cornerback. He's never going to be the kind of corner that can shadow the other team's best receiver, holding them to a few catches. But that's not why the Browns would pick him here.

He's a serviceable corner in coverage, but he really excels in run support. Bryant is a very physical corner that has plus speed and elite instincts. He wouldn't be added to this defense to be a star, but he would be a great piece to their defensive puzzle.