The biggest trade of the 2025 NFL Draft hit differently in Cleveland than it did in Jacksonville, mostly because of how Browns GM Andrew Berry spoke of unicorn prospect Travis Hunter during his annual pre-draft press conference last April.
Browns fans will remember Berry comparing Hunter to Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hunter’s dual-threat ability as a cornerback and wide receiver was tantalizing enough, but the idea of landing football’s equivalent to Ohtani with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft felt about as iron-clad as it gets. Everyone expected Cleveland to stand pat and make the pick, which explains the outrage that followed Berry’s bold decision to trade Hunter’s rights to the Jaguars in exchange for a massive haul of draft capital.
In the end, Hunter to the Browns turned out to be more smokescreen than reality. The Browns’ stunning decision to trade down has aged well, and fans should know from experience to take whatever pre-draft superlatives Berry throws out this week with a grain of salt.
So while Berry laughed and insisted to reporters on Thursday, “No Ohtanis that we can identify this year,” he also spoke glowingly (and extensively) about the consensus No. 1 skill position prospect of this 2026 class: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.
“Yeah, he’s special,” Berry said. “I think if you think about some of the, let’s say, dual-threat backs that the league has had — obviously, Christian McCaffrey may be the poster child for that; Jahmyr Gibbs may be the next generation of that — Jeremiyah certainly has a lot of those abilities and capabilities. He’s a very dynamic prospect.”
No Ohtani — but fans and media members alike now have McCaffrey and Gibbs to sink their teeth into over the next seven days.
Would the Browns really go all-in on a running back at the top of next week's 2026 draft, after selecting two backs inside the first four rounds last year? Based on logic, positional value, and the team's current roster needs, probably not. But that’s not going to stop the speculation from heating up over Berry’s love for this year’s unicorn prospect.
Jeremiyah Love hype could be the Browns’ latest draft misdirection
Based on the consensus big boards, the expectation is that Love will be off the board when the Browns are on the clock with their first of two first-round picks, No. 6 overall. If the interest Berry projected Thursday is real, the Browns are likely already formulating a strategy to trade up into the top five, potentially to the Titans' spot at No. 4.
The dream scenario is that Love slips outside of the top five, as Dane Brugler of The Athletic predicted in his latest seven-round mock draft. That would give Berry a full eight minutes to auction off the pick for a Travis-Hunter-sized return.
The Browns, of course, would happily draft the player at No. 6 based on Berry’s comments — in theory driving up the price for opposing GMs in a potential trade for Love's rights.
“Ultimately, you want unique players when you’re picking this high, because they’re not difficult to identify, but they’re very difficult to acquire,” Berry said, “and the draft is one of those opportunities. So I think oftentimes the public discourse around the draft focuses on need, as if NFL teams go into the draft and say, ‘OK, I’m just going to pick the best player… because that’s how our roster looks today.’ When the reality is these players — they’re longer-term investments for your organization.
“In Jeremiyah’s case, I think the way that you can deploy him, it’s a lot different than other players at the position, and specifically what he can do in the passing game. He’s a pretty special, unique prospect. … There are some players that just transcend scheme and they make a unique impact on the game. We should be able to find a way to use those players.”
In the NFL, there are games within the game, and while Berry’s track record has been far from perfect since taking over the Browns’ front office in 2020, he’s well ahead of the curve when it comes to salary-cap and draft-asset management. His job is to create as many open loops as possible entering a draft, so every option is on the table when it’s time to make a pick.
As much as Browns fans have been clamoring for Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate (and for good reason), Berry’s not going to enter the draft with many absolute scenarios. The game plan is always to react to the board in real-time.
So while Berry’s words Thursday will generate natural discourse linking the Browns to Love, fans should be careful not to fall for another Ohtani-like smokescreen next weekend.
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