Travis Hunter is one of one in this year's draft, and one of one within the NFL - which is where he'll soon be taking his talents. By the end of the first round of the NFL draft, which kicks off in Green Bay on April 24, Hunter is sure to be long gone off the board. His talent at both wide receiver and as a defensive back is simply too rare to pass up on, and that goes for any team in the draft.
The Cleveland Browns are without a star receiver as they wait to see if Jerry Jeudy's great 2024 season was a fluke, and they only have Denzel Ward to rely on consistently in the secondary headed into this season. So, they'd seem silly to pass up on Hunter at No. 2 overall.
But, as we all know by now given how much its been hammered home by both media and Browns ownership this offseason, the one hole the team has to address in the draft no matter what is at quarterback. With Cam Ward likely gone to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall, that leaves just one close to NFL ready quarterback for the Browns to consider - Shedeur Sanders, Hunter's Colorado QB.
Sanders is going to draw eyes from not just Cleveland, but from teams like the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants. Should the Browns, then, draft Sanders at second overall to avoid him slipping to those teams? They'd lose out on Hunter as a result, and have less weapons for Sanders in the long run to work with in the offseason. But, as Colorado OC Pat Shurmur put it to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot during their pro day:
"...if you need a quarterback, take Shedeur...If you don’t need a quarterback, take Travis. I’ve said you can’t go wrong, and I think that pretty much says it all.”
One draft analyst, Thor Nystrom, has suggested a fun solution in his latest 2-round mock draft for the Browns: why not take both?
Draft analyst suggests trade to land Hunter and Sanders in draft
Nystrom, a draft analyst for Fantasy Life, released a 2-round mock draft for each team in the league ahead of April 24. In his 2-rounder for the Browns, he has them selecting Hunter at 2nd overall, and then the "pick-rich" Browns moving their way up the board again to snag Sanders, as well.
"I’m still not convinced that Shedeur Sanders falls—but if he does, monitor the pick-rich Cleveland Browns to potentially swoop in with a trade up to keep Sanders and Travis Hunter together in the pros," wrote Nystrom. He adds that Sanders, in his projection, would be taken 15th overall by Cleveland here.
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Whenever seeing mock drafts involving seemingly improbable trades like this, it's important to think back to one specific offseason occurence that would make trades like this seem a lot less far-fetched: Myles Garrett's interview after signing his massive extension to stay with the Browns.
When asked if he knew about the teams' plans at quarterback, he essentially hinted at the fact that he did, and that he was pleased with the direction the team was taking.
He then mentioned in another interview that he felt like teams that have found the most success with franchise quarterbacks have invested in and developed younger signal callers, suggesting he's looking forward to a rookie starter for Cleveland in 2025.
Piecing these things together, plus the large contingency of Browns front office members and coaching staff that attended Colorado's pro day, plus them taking both Hunter and Sanders out for a meeting and dinner prior to that pro day showcase, seems to signal that Cleveland is probably far more okay with getting a deal done to land both prospects than we might know.