If the Browns were to take Travis Hunter with the second overall pick in the draft, they would use him primarily at wide receiver but are not averse to giving him snaps at defensive back, too.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Leftover takeaways from the Browns’ draft trail …
Although the Browns were the first team to publicly state their view of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter as a wide receiver first – an opinion since shared by Coach Prime -- they would not be averse to utilizing his skills as a part-time cornerback, also.
“I think he'll play both sides of the ball in the NFL. I truly do,” GM Andrew Berry said at the NFL annual meeting two weeks ago. “How that balance looks, I think, depends on the relative schemes on each side of the ball and then how much he can handle, probably more physically than mentally. He's brilliant. He's brilliant from a football standpoint, has a rare intelligence. So, I don't think that there's not necessarily a limit in terms of how you can use him. I think he’ll be good at each point.”
Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Hunter as the top wide receiver and top cornerback in the draft in his just-released 2025 NFL Draft Guide, aka The Beast, saying Hunter “will give his next coaching staff exciting options.”
It would be up to defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to map out Hunter’s defensive role if he is drafted by the Browns.
Keep in mind, also, that Hunter’s proportion of snaps on offense and defense could change over the course of his career.
For instance, the Browns are currently set at cornerback in 2025 with their top three of Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome all returning. Emerson and Newsome, however, both can be free agents after the 2025 season.
In a discussion about whether both could be re-signed, Berry acknowledged it’s “a possibility,” but then threw some shade at the prospect.
“I think the question will become how we think about it from a resource allocation question and who we add to the roster both in this year's class and when we get to that point in next year's class,” Berry said. “So it's certainly a possibility. It just may be relative to some of the different trade-offs that you either could or would have to make depending on how expensive those deals became.”
What about opening up a spot for Hunter to break in at nickel back as a rookie?
Well, Newsome is making a guaranteed $13.377 million in his fifth-year option year, which Berry picked up in 2023. That salary, with an equivalent salary cap number, makes him virtually untradeable.
What about Abdul Carter?
Some analysts rate Hunter as the No. 1 NFL prospect in the draft and others rate Penn State edge rusher/linebacker Abdul Carter as No. 1.
The Browns will have their choice, of course, and have not entirely ruled out taking Carter.
“A very, very impressive young man,” said coach Kevin Stefanski.
Carter’s much-anticipated workout in front of NFL teams has been postponed as he recovers from a shoulder injury in the 2024 Penn State season. He also was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot at the NFL Combine.
Beyond those concerns is the question of how the 6-3 ¾, 250-pound Carter would be used in Schwartz’s defense.
Would Schwartz view him as an every-down, 4-3 end complementing Myles Garrett from the left side? Or would Schwartz utilize Carter in various spots, both with hand on the ground and as an off-ball linebacker, as Dallas uses Micah Parsons?
“I mean, probably the answer to that is yes, you could park him at defensive end and use him in that mold full-time and he'll be an excellent rusher,” Berry said. “He does have the versatility where he's played a full season off the ball. So I think Jim and the defensive staff, if he were a Cleveland Brown, would be creative enough to use them with the highest impact.
“Obviously first and foremost, that's as a rusher. But look, we also do have Lamar Jackson in our division, and there are certain situations where [the versatility] would probably help. So yeah, I wouldn't necessarily put a limit on terms of how you can use him.”
For the record, Berry said Carter’s injury situation “is not something that's a significant concern for us.”
Agent Drew Rosenhaus has said he hopes Carter could schedule a workout in front of teams in mid-April.
Whither Joe Flacco
While national insiders continue to link Kirk Cousins to the Browns, a source told TheLandOnDemand at the NFL annual meeting two weeks ago that Joe Flacco indeed is still in the conversation internally to return to the club and join Kenny Pickett, plus a drafted rookie, in the Browns’ thoroughly revamped quarterback room.
In fact, owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed as much.
“We're looking at several different [veteran] quarterbacks,” Haslam said. “We've looked at a bunch of quarterbacks, obviously, and we're looking at several more of them and Joe's one of them. Yeah, of course he's in the conversation. Doesn't mean we're going to do anything, but he's in the conversation.”
Berry tread the Flacco topic lightly.
“We do have a pretty specific focus with our quarterback room, both in the short term and long term, and we'll fill it with players that we feel like fill that,” he said. “And I'm sorry that that may sound a little bit vague, but I really wouldn't go into the details necessarily.”
Affordability is a big factor in adding a second veteran quarterback.
Flacco played last season for $4.5 million with the Colts and is a free agent.
Cousins is guaranteed $27.5 million in 2025 and another $10 million in a 2026 roster bonus already triggered. The Falcons could pick up a portion of those costs but would demand a draft pick in a trade.