Draft Preview Part 2: With the #2 Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft...

Draft Preview Part 2: With the #2 Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft...

With the #2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select: Travis Hunter Jr., Wide Receiver and Cornerback, Colorado.

These are the words I currently expect Roger Goodell to share on April 24th at Lambeau Field.

Not a QB. Not Abdul Carter. The way I see it, the pick is Travis Hunter Jr. Well, what’s my logic?

It’s important to recognize that Andrew Berry really values wide receivers. He was ready to trade serious assets for Brandon Aiyuk last offseason, and Jerry Jeudy’s presence wasn’t enough to stop him from continuing to explore that path. The Browns want to get faster, more explosive, and more dynamic — and Travis Hunter Jr. fits that vision perfectly. And if you are intrigued as to why I start by describing Hunter as a WR, well, back at the combine, that is how Berry said he mostly seems him.

While the idea of putting Abdul Carter across from Myles Garrett is exciting — and particularly intriguing in a division and conference full of extraordinarily mobile quarterbacks — this team needs help on offense. And here’s the thing: Hunter makes the defense better too. That’s the beauty of this pick. You don’t have to choose between addressing one side of the ball or the other. With Hunter, you’re getting impact everywhere.

I expect the Browns to use Hunter on offense slightly below starter-level snaps, maybe 85-90% and then on defense have him play 20-30%. We’ve never seen one player have a possible elite impact on both sides of the ball in the NFL. This is the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani moment, and what better place for that to happen than with the Cleveland Browns.

In case you were wondering, in this scenario, I have Cam Ward going #1 overall. I do believe the Browns would take him if he somehow fell past the Titans, but with him off the board, I think they are leaning towards Travis Hunter. Part of the reason as to why I see the Browns passing on a QB at 2 is also the fact that they are high on Kenny Pickett — something that I do not have a problem with.

In a league where guys like Geno Smith and Sam Darnold — former first-round picks — are figuring things out later in their careers, why can’t the same thing happen with Kenny Pickett?

And for Browns fans thinking that Pickett would be the only meaningful QB addition this offseason... don’t worry. I’ve got something up my sleeve that I’ll be breaking down in a another piece or two.

How would you feel if Travis Hunter Jr. was the pick?