The Cleveland Browns kicked off the 2025 NFL Draft with a bang.
Contrary to what most people expected, they traded down from No. 2, acquiring the No. 5 pick, an additional first-round pick in 2026, the No. 36 pick, and the No. 126 pick.
They also sent picks 104 and 200 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in this transaction.
For months, most scouts and analysts had the Browns staying put at No. 2 and drafting Travis Hunter out of Colorado.
Hunter is expected to be one of the best players in the league, and he’s deemed a generational two-way talent.
Nevertheless, as much as he could’ve helped the Browns, former NFL executive Andrew Brandt believes this was an offer too good to pass on (via Ross Tucker Podcast):
“I can absolutely defend this trade,” Brandt said about the Browns’ trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “No matter what you think of Travis Hunter, no matter how sexy it is, no matter how much of a draw he is, no matter him playing both ways—you have got to take this trade. It’s a stupid offer from the [Jacksonville Jaguars]. What they got, they had to make that deal. It was an offer they can’t refuse. It’s a stupid offer, and damn right you take that offer if you’re the Browns.”
"It's a stupid offer from the Jags for moving down three spots."@AndrewBrandt talks about how he LOVES the Travis Hunter trade for the Browns on today's Business of Sports: pic.twitter.com/SBxUvBmbVN
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) April 25, 2025
The Jaguars needed to make a splash in James Gladstone’s first year in charge.
The young executive comes from the Los Angeles Rams, a team that has never hesitated to make big moves and take huge swings, even if that means getting by with little to no draft capital afterward.
Trading down to No. 5 wasn’t that bad, and getting the No. 36 pick was a nice sweetener.
Also, the Browns will now have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Not getting Hunter may have been disappointing, and plenty of people didn’t like the idea of taking a defensive tackle with a top-five selection.
Even so, this is the kind of move that most teams would’ve made nine times out of ten if given the opportunity.
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