At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the Cleveland Browns "earned" the second overall pick thanks to their wretched 3-14 record. They became the talk of draft night when they chose to send that selection, and the right to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a blockbuster deal. The Browns ultimately sent the 2nd, 104th, and 200th selections in return for the 5th, 36th, and 126th selections, as well as the Jaguars' first-round pick in 2026.
Browns draft day trade down looks like the right move
First off, the Browns' selections at those spots have been big-time contributors thus far. Mason Graham, who was selected 5th, has had a promising start to his young career. Pro Football Focus currently ranks his performance slightly below average (75th of 121 interior defensive linemen), although he has been credited with 11 pressures - good for 28th in his position group.
A look at his fellow first-round defensive tackles puts his performance into perspective: 13th pick Kenneth Grant (119th), 21st pick Derrick Harmon (102nd), and 28th Tyleik Williams (96th) have all had a more difficult time acclimating thus far. Bear in mind, 16th pick Walter Nolen has not made his debut due to a calf injury.
With the 36th pick, the Browns ended up nabbing running back Quinshon Judkins. Judkins missed the first three games with pending legal issues, but upon making his debut, he became the shining star of an otherwise moribund offensive unit. PFF grades him as the 10th best in the league at his position. He has proven more than capable of being a workhorse ball carrier at the NFL level.
Finally, with the 126th pick, the Browns snagged another running back, Dylan Sampson, who has produced a solid grade in extremely limited snaps. He is likely to see a bump in playing time as the season wears on if he can wrestle the backup job away from veteran Jerome Ford.
Possibly most importantly, the Browns received an additional first-round pick to be used in next year's draft. While the Jaguars have started the season with a surprising 4-2 record, their draft pick - wherever it may land - will be instrumental in helping the Cleveland Browns acquire the top signal-caller that emerges in the 2026 class. That is, of course, if neither of the rookie passers the Browns selected this year shows enough to warrant more time as the team's starter.
Flexibility is the name of the game, and the Browns have many options with this trade haul, depending on how things play out. Amid a 1-5 start to the campaign, it's becoming increasingly unlikely that the Browns are going to go on any kind of playoff run.
Now, this is in no way to declare Travis Hunter a bust, nor to suggest that he won't become a fantastic player. It is simply to point out that the pre-draft hype had reached a fever pitch that Hunter was likely never going to be able to achieve. People expected a Tyreek Hill-Jalen Ramsey hybrid playing All-Pro football on both sides of the ball when Hunter was drafted.
As a wide receiver, PFF ranks Hunter 94th out of 125 qualified players. He has played roughly 63% of the Jaguars' offensive snaps, totaling 20 receptions for 197 yards. On defense, he has played 148 snaps - roughly 39% of the Jaguars' defensive snaps so far - with modest production (15 tackles, 2 passes defensed).
While it's still impressive and notable that Travis Hunter is able to play both positions, it is becoming abundantly clear that the Browns made the right move for their situation - acquiring extra draft picks - rather than being impulsive with the most hyped prospect on draft night.