For weeks, it seemed clear that the Cleveland Browns would take generational two-way player Travis Hunter with the second pick.
Hunter went second. But the Browns threw everyone a stunning curveball early in the NFL Draft.
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The Browns traded the second pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars right as Cam Ward was being picked with the first overall pick. The details, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter, were the Browns trading No. 2, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for No. 5, a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a 2026 first. That’s a very expensive price for the Jaguars to pay.
The Browns have many needs. Hunter could have filled one at receiver and perhaps cornerback as well. But they passed on Hunter for more picks.
It will be one of the most talked-about trades over the next few years, whether it works out for the Browns or not.
Browns had a difficult call
The Browns had a conundrum at No. 2 overall. It became clear as the lead-up to the draft unfolded that there was one quarterback who was clearly ahead of the rest of the class, and the Tennessee Titans were going to take him at No. 1. With Ward gone to the Titans, the Browns had to decide to reach on a quarterback, likely Shedeur Sanders, to fill a need or take the best player available. That brought another difficult decision.
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They took a U-turn nobody saw coming.
Travis Hunter won a Heisman Trophy as a two-way player for Colorado last season. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
(Andrew Wevers via Getty Images)
Hunter is one of the most intriguing NFL Draft prospects ever. The Jaguars need some juice in their passing offense and passing defense too, and Hunter could help in both areas.
It was an expensive move up. But apparently the Jaguars were sold on Hunter’s rare talent.
Travis Hunter joins Jaguars
Most draft analysts had Hunter as the top player in the entire draft. Not long before the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry compared Hunter to baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.
“It’s a little bit like Ohtani, right? Where when he’s playing one side, he’s an outstanding player. If he’s a pitcher, if he is a hitter, he is an outstanding player. You obviously get a unicorn if you use him both ways,” Berry said.
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That kind of talent is tough to pass. But the Browns did to restock the picks given away with the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade. It was a stunning move but draft value charts gave the Browns a huge edge, getting a surplus that amounts to the eighth overall pick of a draft according to Over The Cap.
Back at the NFL scouting combine, when the consensus opinion was that Hunter would be an NFL cornerback who could get some snaps at receiver, Berry said the Browns thought he could do both but they viewed him primarily as a receiver. One of the key questions going forward is how the Jaguars plan to use Hunter. Hunter playing receiver alongside 2024 rookie star Brian Thomas Jr. is intriguing.
All of a sudden, the Jaguars will be a team worth watching due to the one-of-one ability of Hunter. And how the trade works out for both sides will be watched just as closely.
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