Browns mock draft: 3 players who won't be back in 2025 and rookies who will replace them

Cleveland Browns fans have been in mock draft mode for weeks now, if not months, but a 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 just drove the point home: This team needs a change of direction and an infusion of young talent, and it needs them as quickly as possible.

Cleveland seems inexplicably committed to bringing back all three of GM Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski and erstwhile franchise QB Deshaun Watson in 2025. But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of changes made to the Browns roster between now and next September. Here are three players who definitely won't be back next season, and the perfect replacements that Berry can target in next year's draft.

3. Jayden Higgins would be a far better fit for Browns roster than Elijah Moore

Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman look like building blocks for the future, but with Amari Cooper moving on to Buffalo, Cleveland's wideout room is in desperate need of a classic X receiver who can win one-on-ones on the boundary. That player certainly wasn't Moore, who should be moving on after a maddeningly inconsistent 2024 season.

The Browns are unlikely to address receiver with one of its top picks, but a mid-round target like Higgins could make a lot of sense. At 6-foot-4, the Iowa State product was a ball-winner down the field for Cyclones QB Rocco Becht over the last two seasons, and he profiles as a similar player to Cooper given his smooth route-running and plus ball skills. Sticking Higgins on the outside would allow Jeudy and David Njoku to continue making plays in space over the middle of the field.

2. Kaleb Johnson has workhorse potential if the Browns move on from Nick Chubb

Chubb has been an absolute soldier during his time in Cleveland, but it feels like his future lies elsewhere as his contract expires at the end of the 2024 season. Spending the money to bring the veteran back in 2025 doesn't feel like the best use of the team's resources, nor does sinking a first-round pick into Boise State star Ashton Jeanty.

But what about addressing the position later in the draft? Johnson was an absolute star at Iowa this season, finishing sixth in the country in rushing at 1,537 yards while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He's big enough to handle 15-20 touches a game at 6-foot, 225 pounds, and he also displayed game-breaking ability every time he touched the ball.

1. Kelvin Banks would be the ideal replacement for Jedrick Wills

Cleveland's offensive tackle situation devolved into chaos this season, as Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin have battled injury and Germain Ifedi has struggled in Wills' absence. At this point, it seems like the writing is on the wall for the Browns' franchise left tackle, who did himself no favors with his comment about not playing earlier this season due to a "business decision".

Whether Wills comes back or not, it's clear that item No. 1 on Berry's to-do list is finding help on the offensive line. Kelvin Banks represents just that, combining agility, athleticism and footwork with the requisite strength to protect Watson's (or whoever's) blind side for years to come. Banks did just that for Quinn Ewers at Texas, and picking him up in the top 10 would be a great way to bring some much-needed stability to the Browns' offense.