The NFL draft is somehow only three weeks away, and we've seen no movement from teams with their picks ahead of the event.
The team with the top pick, the Tennessee Titans, don't seem primed to move off of that position given their newfound infatuation with QB1 Cam Ward. Similarly, while the Browns haven't totally ruled out moving their 2nd overall pick, it doesn't sound like they're planning on trading it for anything other than extra first rounders or for anyone already in the league.
This creates the possibility, though, that Cleveland could try to trade one or both of their third round picks, or even their second rounder, for another first round pick this year. And, the one scenario where that could be a possibility could be if they're sold on trying to pair two Colorado stars - Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders - with one another in the Browns' offense for 2025 and beyond.
3-round mock trade features big trade to land Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter
Cleveland needs offense. That's just a fact. Their defense, while soon to be recovering from a very down year in 2024, can be a top unit again with Myles Garrett fully bought in again and with the hopeful resurgence of players like MJ Emerson. Adding Hunter could not only further boost that defense, but it would immediately add a top receiver to their receiving corp for 2025.
Hunter's speed, hands, and low turnover rate make him one of two logical picks for the Browns at second overall, with the other being Abdul Carter. He'd be a sparkplug and a star in Cleveland, both of which are very necessary.
Here's where we make a trade. Going off of ESPN's currently updated big board, Sanders is ranked as the 14th best player available in the draft. Using that logic, and given the Colts are picking 14th overall this season, we have the Browns trading up with Indianapolis and handing over the 33rd overall pick in addition to a 2026 2nd rounder.
Read more: Deion Sanders predicts Browns will go for offense at No. 2 overall in NFL draft
Would the Colts entertain this considering the question marks around Anthony Richardson's ability to become their QB1? Probably not. But, for the sake of this exercise - and assuming Sanders isn't falling far in the draft as NFL.com's Lance Zierlein suggested in his trade proposal between the Browns and Minnesota Vikings - we have them swapping with the Colts instead.
Cleveland takes Sanders in this scenario in the middle of the first round, landing the literal perfect complement to both his game and to Hunter's. Pairing successful college duos with one another seems to be the trend these days - see Justin Fields with Garrett Wilson in New York, Ja'Marr Chase with Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith.
Why not recreate that type of chemistry in Cleveland?
At 67th overall, the Browns go for a running back to potentially replace Nick Chubb's replacement and land Quinshon Judkins out of The Ohio State University. Judkins has been crawling up big boards as of late, with the Browns being reported as one team to host the running back ahead of the draft. Judkins ran for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns with 194 carries for the Buckeyes in 2024.
Rated as an eventual plus starter by NFL.com, Judkins' run style is best described as "not afraid." Watching any package of highlights from the RB shows a player willing to take plenty of contact, and someone who gets downhill fairly quickly. Given some room, he's dangerous in the open field because of how strong his running is. He'd be a great addition to the Browns' running back room.
Fannin is the Browns' 94th pick in the draft in this mock up. Fannin can absolutely go sooner than this, though, because he's the type of weapon any offense looking to lean less on a quarterbacks ability to make explosive plays and more on shorter passes turning into big gains. Fannin's average YAC of 9.2 and solid 1,555 total receiving yards in 2024 make him a top TE target in this year's draft.
He's getting outshined by players like Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, which is fair. They feel just as pro ready as Fannin. But, if Cleveland could somehow land him and play him off and on with David Njoku, he adds yet another big weapon to Sanders' arsenal. Given Njoku's recent injury history, he'd also become an incredible starter option in his hypothetical absence.