We are heading into week 12 of the 2024 NFL season, and the Cleveland Browns are sitting at 2-8 and are seriously underperforming after a playoff run last season. They had the #1 defense last year and now have the 30th-best defense halfway through this season. Cleveland is coming off of a terrible loss against Taysom Hill and the Saints and has a much tougher match on Thursday Night Football against the Steelers this week. I personally do not see this season turning around, and there are some pretty solid ways that the Browns can improve going into next season, starting with their 2025 draft class.

According to ESPN, the Browns have an 89.2% chance of having a top 10 pick and a 50.2% chance of having a top 5 pick in 2025, which leaves some space to bring in some young star college athletes. Assuming that Jameis Winston will be gone next season and Cleveland will cut Deshaun Watson, they will certainly need a fresh quarterback. The way I see it right now, the Browns will either land Jalen Milroe from Alabama or Shedeur Sanders from Colorado in the first round, most likely whichever player the Las Vegas Raiders don’t take. Although these guys will be inexperienced, they will probably be sticking to the run game with Nick Chubb or finding short routes to either David Njoku or Jerry Jeudy.

In the 2nd round of the draft, I can potentially see the Browns taking JT Tuimoloau from Ohio State. Tuimoloau is a dominant force on the defensive line for the Buckeyes, and I would definitely like to have Myles Garrett on one side of the line while Tuimoloau is on the other. Although this pick is a little far-fetched, this would for sure be a smart pick for the Browns to make.

These will be the crucial picks for the Browns to take if they want to improve going into the 2025 season, but they will also have to make smart decisions on who to cut and who to pay for yet another season.