The Cleveland Browns hosted Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu for a pre-draft visit on Monday, a league source confirmed, signaling the team’s continued search for long-term answers along an offensive line that has been both a strength and a source of instability in recent years. Lomu, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle who started 26 games for the Utes over the past two seasons, is viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and his visit to Berea carries significant weight as the Browns evaluate options with the No. 10 overall selection.
The visit is the latest in a series of pre-draft meetings between Cleveland and top offensive line prospects, a pattern that underscores the team’s pressing need to solidify the tackle position. While the Browns’ interior line has been relatively stable—anchored by guard Joel Bitonio and center Ethan Pocic—the bookend spots have been a revolving door since the departure of left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. after the 2024 season. The current projected starter at left tackle, 2024 third-round pick Dawand Jones, has shown flashes of promise but has also battled consistency issues and a lingering knee injury that limited his effectiveness last season. On the right side, Jack Conklin remains under contract but has missed 17 games over the past two seasons due to various ailments, and the team declined his 2027 option earlier this spring, making this a prove-it year for the former All-Pro.
Lomu fits the physical profile the Browns have historically favored under general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. He is a powerful, technically sound blocker who excels in the run game, particularly on gap and power schemes—a staple of Stefanski’s offense. His combination of size, length (34-inch arms), and functional strength makes him a candidate to play either tackle spot, though most scouts project him as a left tackle at the next level.
The Browns’ interest in Lomu is also tied to their broader roster construction. Cleveland currently has just over $12 million in effective salary cap space, per Over the Cap, which limits their ability to address the tackle position through free agency. The top available veteran tackles—players like Donovan Smith and George Fant—remain unsigned, but neither offers the long-term upside of a first-round rookie. Drafting Lomu would give the Browns a cost-controlled starter for four years, with a fifth-year option, at a position where premium talent is expensive on the open market. The franchise tag for offensive tackles in 2026 is projected to exceed $20 million, so securing a rookie deal at No. 10 would provide significant financial flexibility.
There are also schematic implications. Stefanski’s offense relies heavily on play-action and bootlegs, which require tackles who can hold their own in one-on-one pass protection while also moving well laterally to seal the edge on outside zone runs. Lomu’s tape shows a player who is comfortable in space, with the foot quickness to mirror speed rushers and the power to drive defenders off the ball in the run game. However, he does have some technical flaws—occasionally playing too high in his stance and struggling with inside counters—that will need to be refined at the NFL level. The Browns’ offensive line coach, Bill Callahan, is regarded as one of the best in the business at developing young tackles, and pairing Lomu with Callahan could accelerate his development.
The visit itself is part of a standard pre-draft process, but it also reflects the Browns’ urgency to get the pick right. Cleveland is coming off a 7-10 season in 2025, a campaign that was derailed by inconsistent quarterback play and a leaky offensive line that allowed 47 sacks, tied for the eighth-most in the league. The team has invested heavily in the defense this offseason, signing edge rusher Chase Young and cornerback Jaycee Horn in free agency, but the offense remains a work in progress. With Deshaun Watson entering his fourth season as the starter—and coming off a year in which he missed three games due to injury and finished with a 79.4 passer rating—the Browns cannot afford to leave him exposed behind a shaky line.
Lomu is not the only tackle prospect on Cleveland’s radar. The Browns have also met with LSU’s Will Campbell, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, and Georgia’s Earnest Greene III, according to league sources. But Lomu’s visit is notable because it comes at a time when the team is also weighing whether to trade down from No. 10 to acquire additional picks. Berry has a history of trading back in the first round—he did so in 2022, moving from No. 13 to No. 26 and still landing wide receiver Chris Olave—and the Browns currently hold just six selections in the seven-round draft. If a team offers a compelling package to move up for a quarterback or a pass rusher, Berry could slide back and still target a tackle like Lomu later in the first round. However, the visit suggests that if Lomu is on the board at No. 10, the Browns would be comfortable taking him there.
From a roster perspective, drafting Lomu would create a logjam at tackle, but that is a problem the Browns would welcome. Jones could shift to right tackle, where his size and power are better suited, or serve as a swing tackle if Conklin stays healthy. Conklin, who turns 31 in August, is entering the final year of his contract and could be a trade candidate if the Browns land a rookie they believe can start immediately. Alternatively, the team could keep all three and use Jones as a sixth offensive lineman in heavy packages—a role he excelled in as a rookie.
The schedule also plays a role. The Browns face a gauntlet of elite pass rushers in 2026, including the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, the Ravens’ Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, and the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson twice each. The AFC North remains one of the most physically demanding divisions in football, and the Browns cannot afford to go into those games with a question mark at left tackle. Lomu’s ability to handle power rushers like Watt—who has 16.5 sacks against Cleveland over the last five seasons—will be a key evaluation point for the Browns’ front office.
For now, the visit is a data point, not a declaration. But in a draft class that is deep at offensive tackle but thin at the top, the Browns are doing their due diligence on a player who could be the anchor of their line for the next decade. Whether that happens at No. 10, or after a trade back, remains to be seen. What is clear is that Cleveland is not content to stand pat, and Caleb Lomu is firmly in the conversation.
