5 Senior Bowl Standouts Cleveland Browns Fans Should Know

The Browns brass got an in person look at a number of prospects from the 2025 NFL Draft Class at the Senior Bowl, including these five players who turned heads

Sep 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo (8) catches the football for a touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

From the Shrine Bowl to the Senior Bowl, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry and his staff are nose deep in their evaluation of the 2025 NFL Draft Class.

With the No. 2 overall pick, quarterback appears very much in play in the first round, but beyond that Cleveland possess eight additional picks in the 2025 Draft and have plenty of other needs to attend to. As the week of Senior Bowl practices winds down and the game itself looms large on Saturday, here are five players who turned heads that Browns fans should be aware of as potential targets for the franchise.

1) DE Mike Green Jr., Marshall

I've already written about Green this week, but he seems like a real possibility for the Browns should they go through with taking a quarterback at two and then want to bolster a defensive need to open up round two. Green made arguably the play of the week when he bulldozed Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. during one-on-one drills and then withdrew from the game to go train elsewhere. He could be rising up board from here on out, but definitely someone who could be on Cleveland's radar.

🚨🚨🚨WOW!!! Marshall EDGE Mike Green!! Draft stock 📈📈📈 @MikeGarafolo @nfldraftscout pic.twitter.com/KSPIf6cN7x

— Larry Rudolph QBC Media (@qbcountry_media) January 29, 2025

2) TE Elijah Arroyo, Miami

There has been a lot of noise around Arroyo this week from those on site in Mobile, Ala. Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network noted that Arroyo started the week as a fringe top 50 player and ended the week with first-round buzz. His route running seems to be an aspect of his game that stood out to scouts, which combined with some elite speed and strength at the position could be a deadly combination at the next level.

Arroyo also flashed as a blocker, which is important to note from a Cleveland lens because with the Browns going back to Kevin Stefanski's offense multiple tight end sets are a staple feature. They need tight ends who can block. People aren't talking enough about tight end as a need for Cleveland.

3) OT Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Zabel is another consensus standout by many of the analysts in attendance this week. Despite coming out of the FCS he was already garnering first-round chatter and the Senior Bowl practices only helped that cause. One thing that really makes Zabel attractive to scouts is his versatility. He's already shown he can play guard or tackle and at the Senior Bowl he tried his hand at center an reportedly held his own there as well.

Tackle is arguably the second biggest need for Cleveland behind quarterback. It would be nice to address both those positions with young talents from the same draft.

4) WR Xavier Restrepo, Miami

Another Miami player makes the list and Restrepo is easily the most recognizable name on this list. Plenty of scouts and fans knew who the Hurricane's all-time leading receiver was before this week, but he continued to bolster his stock nonetheless. Like his Miami teammate, Arroyo, Restrepo continued flashing his refined route running ability in a number of practice sessions. He was getting open constantly against most of the defensive backs he faced at the Senior Bowl.

Cleveland appears to have hit on Jerry Jeudy as their new No. 1 wide receiver, but adding someone like Restrepo could be beneficial to give them reliable and savvy slot target to pair with Jeudy in 2025. He's projected as a second or third rounder right now, which could be a sweet spot for the Browns who have two third round picks this year.

Can keep the analysis on this one simple: @CanesFootball WR Xavier Restrepo gets open

Value in the red zone doesn’t just come from size pic.twitter.com/azZJ5CGBTW

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 30, 2025

5) LB Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon

There is a lot of uncertainty right now regarding the future of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah after the Pro Bowl linebacker saw his season cut short due to a neck injury. Internally, the Browns are likely the only ones who know what his future holds, and if it's a negative outlook linebacker could turn into a massive need for Cleveland.

Bassa is an option to potentially fill that void at the position. He flashed during the week of practice at the Senior Bowl, but stood out most notably, according to Jeremiah, because of his leadership, directing traffic and getting guys in the right place pre-snap. He also possesses some solid man-coverage skills which would be beneficial to the Browns at the outside linebacker position. Keep an eye on Bassa in the weeks ahead. He's currently projected to be a day two selection.