Coveted, two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter could figure prominently in the Browns' draft strategy.
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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.
For three years, the Browns – and their fans – were the kids without toys under the tree on NFL draft day.
No first-round draft pick! Bah humbug!
And in two of those years, GM Andrew Berry filled the role of Grinch by trading away the club’s second-round pick, making the wait for the team’s first selection extra excruciating.
But now that the last ransom payment has been made in the trade for Deshaun Watson, aka, The Worst Trade in Modern Sports History, the Browns – and their fans – can participate once again in what has been regarded as Cleveland’s Super Bowl.
With limited selections for three years, Berry’s options each draft season were restricted to what was left on the draft board.
But this year the Browns own the No. 2 and No. 33 selections in the first two rounds. And their options are almost limitless.
Consider these options Berry must ponder as the draft season rolls on:
1. Trade up from No. 2 to No. 1 to select the quarterback of his choice.
Tennessee owns the No. 1 pick. Most early mock drafts are assigning the Titans Cam Ward of Miami. But what if the Browns fall in love with Ward and Tennessee decides to settle for another player and extra draft picks?
What would it cost for the Browns to move up just one spot?
Unfortunately, there is no precedent for this trade. In the Super Bowl era, the No. 1 pick has been traded 13 times. But never has No. 2 moved up to No. 1.
The closest comp falls back to 1975 when the Baltimore Colts traded No. 1 to the Atlanta Falcons, who owned No. 3. The price tag was Atlanta’s No. 3 overall pick plus a player, guard Ken Huff.
According to the old Draft Value Chart, which was devised by Jimmy Johnson in the 1990s and assigns point values to every draft pick, the price to move up from No. 2 to No. 1 is 400 points. That equates to a mid second-round pick, or two third-round picks (which the Browns have).
2. Use the No. 2 overall pick on the quarterback Tennessee doesn’t choose.
Assuming the mocks are accurate, would Berry select Shedeur Sanders of Colorado?
According to draft analysts, Sanders would fit Kevin Stefanski’s play-action passing system fairly well. Sanders isn’t a dual-threat QB and has good strength and pocket presence. And his accuracy at Colorado was exemplary – 71.8% over two seasons.
The question is would his high-profile father, Deion Sanders, allow his son to join the Browns or would he make enough pre-draft noise to block it? Further, down the road, how much of a pain would Deion be if he becomes unhappy about his son’s usage and development by the team that selects him?
3. Use the No. 2 overall pick on Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado.
The only consensus about the 2025 draft is that Hunter is the best player.
Hunter was a once-in-a-generation sensation at Colorado, excelling at wide receiver (96 receptions, 1,258 yards, 15 touchdowns) and cornerback (4 interceptions, 11 PBUs, 1 forced fumble). He averaged 113 snaps a game, virtually equal on offense and defense.
Nobody believes Hunter can keep that workload in the NFL. Most believe he can play both, however, if he is full time at cornerback and part time (10-20 snaps) at receiver.
If so, Hunter would join a stacked Browns cornerback room that includes Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome. Hunter is considered mostly an outside cornerback – not a slot cornerback.
Drafting Hunter could make Emerson or Newsome expendable, and Hunter could supplement Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman as a third receiver and as a potential playmaker in special situations.
4. Trade down from No. 2 and collect extra draft picks.
If the Browns don’t fall in love with Sanders or Hunter, they would no doubt receive multiple offers for the pick. Berry would be in position to attach a premium to a trade. He conceivably could also trade down twice to maximize value.
Say the Giants at No. 3 want to move up for Sanders. The Browns could demand 400 points – a low second- or a third- and fourth-round pick to move down just one spot.
Then they could auction the No. 3 pick for a team craving Hunter. Let’s just say Las Vegas at No. 6 wants Hunter. Moving from No. 3 to No. 6 is worth another 600 points – equivalent to second- and fourth-round picks.
In this scenario, the Browns could double-down from No. 2 to No. 6 and acquire multiple picks in the second and fourth rounds.
5. Trade down, collect extra picks and use the No. 6 pick.
If the Browns trade lower than to No. 6, they would be outsmarting themselves. The absolute elite of this draft is restricted to the top six or seven picks.
If they moved down to No. 6, the top three players off the board likely would be Ward, Sanders and Hunter.
The next wave of players, per draft analyst Dane Brugler of the Athletic, would be Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
6. Use the No. 33 pick on quarterback Jalen Milroe of Alabama.
Some believe this is too high for Milroe, who is raw and in need of patient coaching.
But Milroe’s value figures to be severely inflated after the Combine, where he will knock it out of the park with his supreme athleticism and strong arm.
If the Browns intend to make Milroe’s development a personal project of new coordinator Tommy Rees, his OC and QB coach at Alabama in 2023, they can’t afford to pass him up here.
7. Use the No. 33 pick on quarterback Jaxson Dart of Mississippi.
On the surface, Dart’s QB style seems to fit Kevin Stefanski’s under-center, play-action passing scheme much better than Milroe, who is a classic, dual-threat quarterback.
If the Browns do not trade up for Ward or pass on Sanders, it seems likely they would take their quarterback at No. 33. Right now, the best options appear to be Milroe, the project, or Dart, who some consider a potential NFL backup, at best.
8. Trade the No. 33 pick for another extra pick.
The first pick on the second day is highly coveted because teams have all night after the first round to fall in love with a player still on the board and make the call for trade.
The next three teams picking after No. 33 are the Giants, Tennessee and Jacksonville.
If the Giants and Tennessee are able to get their quarterback in Round 1, they would be no threat to take Milroe or Dart and might have a player in mind they’d be willing to trade a pick for. Jacksonville, with Trevor Lawrence locked in at QB, is no threat to take Milroe or Dart.
So it could be possible for the Browns to trade down one, two, or three spots and still take their quarterback.
Moving down a few spots from No. 33, however, would net no more than a fifth-round pick.
Altogether, the options for Berry with the Browns’ top two picks are exciting and plenty. He has less than 100 days to devise his strategy.