Everybody’s jumping on the Travis Hunter-to-Browns bandwagon now

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Takeaways from Colorado’s pro day ‘NFL showcase’ and other things …

1. Our mock draft 4.0 posted on March 25 was the first time I mocked Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter to the Browns. I doubled-down on it in mock 5.0 after listening to Browns GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski rave about Hunter as a wide receiver at the NFL annual meeting. Berry said Hunter is “brilliant from a football standpoint … [with] rare intelligence,” and Stefanski said Hunter possesses “elite ball skills … I don't know if there's been better.” Now, after Hunter stood out as the only truly elite athletic talent at the Colorado pro day, and quarterback Shedeur Sanders tossed a decent percentage of wobblers among his 60-plus throws, and Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter remained in limbo after postponing first public workout because of two injury issues, at least one sports book has spoken. DraftKings.com now lists Hunter the favorite to be drafted No. 2 to the Browns at -130 odds, Carter has slipped to +100, and Sanders has ballooned to +750.

2. At the NFL annual meeting, Berry cautioned against putting too much emphasis on any pro day or private workouts at this stage of the draft process. He said a player’s “body of work” during his college playing career is much more important and influential. For that reason, Sanders’ rather mundane pro day showing may not have moved the needle appreciably in the Browns’ evaluation. Sanders’ early shorter throws in the workout wobbled, but were on the mark. His spirals got tighter, actually, on longer throws. But even NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks, who rated Sanders ahead of Miami’s Cam Ward as the top quarterback in the draft, admitted Ward has more velocity and better spin on his throws. In the days after the workout, there arose a debate via social media about Sanders’ tendency to pat the ball before releasing it. Jets defensive back Andre Cisco posted on X, “Boy better stop patting that ball, we breakin onnat earlyyyy.” Giants receiver Darius Slayton defended Sanders in a couple posts. “Tom Brady literally the king of getting the ball out fast patted the ball when he threw. So actually no patting the ball is not the difference,” Slayton wrote. Which brought a response from social media-active Micah Parson of the Cowboys, who wrote, “You realize [a pat] on the ball can be difference between a sack or a throw away/completion?” My take on Sanders’ workout remains the same as earlier: The Browns like him, but not enough to take him second overall. One thing I would add after the workout: I don’t think the Browns would invest any extra picks to move up and take Sanders if he falls into the 20s in the first round.

3. So where will Sanders’ destination be in the first round of the draft? I think Deion Sanders, his father, coach and greatest supporter, has a healthy and realistic view of it. In an interview on ESPN prior to the workout, Prime said, “We don’t have no preference of which team. But I’m excited. We’ve already won, man. You understand? We’re coming from an HBCU [start to his career]. Jackson State. So we’ve already won.” Deion had a most telling parting shot at the close of the interview with analysts Field Yates and Louis Riddick. “I got to stand with this,” he said. “I like these colors [pointing to the Colorado black and gold shirt he was wearing]. Don’t you like these colors? I like these colors.” Colorado’s color scheme is remarkably similar to that of the New Orleans Saints, who hold the No. 9 pick in the first round.

4. Give Berry credit for being the only NFL team executive – the only one – to publicly state at the NFL Combine in February that he views Hunter as a wide receiver first and cornerback second. Everybody else had it the opposite way. Now it’s become obvious that even Hunter himself views himself as a receiver first; he agreed to run routes and catch passes from Sanders at the pro day, but did nothing to exhibit his skills as a cornerback. In the ESPN interview, Deion affirmed that he would begin Hunter’s career from Day One as a receiver. “I would send him with the offense because the offense is harder to digest, it’s harder to understand,” Prime said. “Defensively, he’s probably going to be in man [coverage] most of the time, cover 3, cover 4, 2, whatever. That’s easy … that’s very simplistic for him. But getting the understanding of the offense, and the checks, and timing with the quarterback, and that relationship, that’s where he should go first.” Now, more “analysts” are projecting Hunter as an offensive player first. “I do view him as a wide receiver,” said ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller. “[He’s] 6-1, 188 pounds. I don’t really want him out there tackling guys 10 to 15 times a game. I want the ball in his hands. He’s a playmaker.” ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler said, “The slight majority of teams I’ve polled do see him as a cornerback. One executive told me he’d be a top 10 to 15 receiver [in the NFL]. He would be the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL if you gave him 2 to 3 years to refine that skillset. Several coaches in attendance noticed he didn’t do one backpedal [at the pro day]. He was making a statement on what he probably prefers at this point.” Hunter is a bright fellow and ultimately might just be following the money. The top five wide receivers in the NFL average $34.84 million a year in their current contracts. The top five cornerbacks average $24.82 million.

5. Prior to arriving in Boulder, CO, the Browns did visit with Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in Eugene, OR. Shough began his 7-year college career as a backup to Justin Herbert as a redshirt freshman at Oregon. Shough was the heir-apparent starter, but lost the job to Boston College transfer Anthony Brown, and eventually transferred to Texas Tech. Prior to 2024, Shough transferred to Louisville and led the Cardinals to an 8-4 record. The game that put Shough on the NFL draft map was a 52-45 loss to Miami, in which Shough went toe-to-toe with Miami’s Ward. Shough threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions; Ward had 319 yards, four TDs and no INTs. The uncertainties about Shough are his age (he turns 26 in September) and the fact that his seventh year of college ball was his only really impressive one. Even then, he completed only 62.7% of his passes for 23 TDs v. 6 INTs. I think the Browns’ interest in Shough confirms they are resigned to drafting a quarterback only after using their first pick on Hunter. The challenge now facing Berry & Co. is strategizing when to take their quarterback at maximum value. Yes, Sanders is a possibility (if he free-falls), but more likely are Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Shough, I believe. Other QBs may visit Berea prior to the draft, but there is no confirmation of the Browns spending extra time on any QB other than Ward, Sanders, Dart, Milroe and Shough.