With the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns may just go ahead and select the best player available to them. That likely isn't a quarterback, but they're under a ton of pressure to get a signal caller on the roster ahead of the 2025 season.
So, they might have to choose between Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at this spot, with Ward having a slight edge thanks to his athleticism and strengths as a playmaker. Sanders has his perks as well, given his accuracy and ability to operate under a collapsing pocket thanks to a shoddy O-line at Colorado. But, neither are truly "top" prospects.
That makes it hard to justify for the Browns to take either one with their prime pick in this year's draft, especially when talent like Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are likely to be available. That's also why recent speculation from one NFL insider about the teams' strategy at QB is both surprising and understandable.
Browns' potential strategy at QB is surprising
According to a recent interview done on The Pat McAfee Show, NFL Network's draft expert Daniel Jeremiah shared that he had heard around the combine and league that the Browns may not actually go for a quarterback at No. 2 overall. That bucks the assumptions that've been made recently that Cleveland has to go QB at No. 2.
"There's some people around the league that think the Browns aren't gonna take a QB with their first pick..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 7, 2025
They've done their homework on this second tier of QBs as well so don't rule that out"@MoveTheSticks #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/TrvjhTrWoI
Second tier quarterback means that the Browns are interested in players like Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, or Will Howard with one of their later round picks, potentially. If that's the case, then it would make sense for them to try and get Travis Hunter with their pick so they're able to pair an elite receiver - and cornerback - with whichever developmental quarterback they take.
Read more: Abdul Carter's cryptic social media post won't sit well with Browns fans
Additionally, taking a quarterback in the later round just feels like it makes the most sense for a team like Cleveland that isn't necessarily in win-now mode. If they can sign a veteran to a small deal this offseason and pair him with a rookie, they have a great bridge QB system going alongside whichever top positional player they do end up spending their top pick on.
While it seems like the Browns haven't been connected to anyone other than Ward or Sanders in ages, we might start to see that talk ramp back up with their growing need for a pass rushing replacement to Myles Garrett or a perfect pairing on offense for whichever quarterback they have start in 2025.