{"id":245880,"date":"2026-04-25T06:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T06:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245880\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T06:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T06:30:08","slug":"florida-ot-austin-barber-taken-by-cleveland-in-3rd-round-of-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/245880\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida OT Austin Barber taken by Cleveland in 3rd round of NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 24, 2026, 10:38 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

The Cleveland Browns selected Florida Gators<\/a> offensive tackle Austin Barber with the No. 86 pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Friday night. A multiple-year starter in Gainesville, Barber gets his professional start after being selected in the third round.<\/p>\n

Standing at 6-feet-6-inches and weighing 313 pounds, Barber turned himself into a fixture on the Florida<\/a> front, making 30 career starts at tackle. Routinely protecting Gators quarterbacks from the blindside rush of SEC defenders earned him the prospect grade worthy of early-round consideration.<\/p>\n

Barber’s size and length give him an advantage in confronting and engaging defenders early in the play. His awareness and ability to execute in run and pass protection vaulted the Jacksonville, Florida natives stock. In fact, Barbers’ play earned him an All-SEC Third-Team designation in 2025.<\/p>\n

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For the Browns, Barber projects as a developmental lineman, but brings the experience and reliability that will position him to compete for significant minutes. His selection continues Florida’s representation in the trenches at the highest level.<\/p>\n

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