With the 2025 NFL Draft less than two months away, there is going to be a significant increase in rumors involving what teams may do at the top of the draft. From which players teams may be interested in taking to potential trades, there will be no shortage of scenarios to be discussed. But, there is one potential outcome that should be viewed as a warning sign by the Cleveland Browns.
A report from ESPN's Dan Graziano has identified the New York Jets as a team interested in trading for the first overall pick in the draft. While this should come as no surprise, it is the other part of the equation that needs to be studied carefully.
Latest intel about potential trade up in draft should be a warning to Browns
The number one pick belongs to the Tennessee Titans, and just like the Browns, they need a quarterback. If the Titans are genuinely willing to trade down from the top spot instead of selecting one of the two options considered to be the best quarterbacks in the draft, alarms should be going off non-stop in Berea.
The general consensus on this draft class, according to analysts and draft experts alike, is that the quarterback position is very thin and lacks the overall talent and potential of previous groups, in addition to those who may come as soon as next year.
Hearing this assessment of quarterbacks from those not directly involved in the operations of a football team is one thing. A team potentially trading out of a spot to select a quarterback in this draft in favor of trading down and selecting other positions is another thing entirely.
Read more: Cam Ward named "ideal" pick for Browns in latest PFF mock draft
Regardless of what the Titans do with their pick, Cleveland would be wise to consider every non-quarterback option available to them at two. Perhaps they will find Myles Garrett's successor on their defensive front in Abdul Carter (once they come to their senses and trade him, of course).
Maybe they decide they cannot pass up the opportunity to draft a two-way player in Travis Hunter, even though the positions he plays are not the most pressing at the moment.
There is even the chance the Browns trade down from the second spot, which could allow them to acquire established veterans and help them navigate the draft's middle and later rounds with a bit more ease.
It really seems that as we get closer to the draft, the Browns would be better off bypassing a quarterback with their first pick and instead addressing a different position entirely. Taking this route would be the preferred option over unnecessarily sacrificing their long-term future for an unlikely playoff run with a rookie quarterback at the helm.
The only problem here is that the Browns' decision-makers are not great at self-evaluation and often compound shortsighted mistakes on top of one another due to this deficiency. Should that be the case once again, anything would be on the table, including over-drafting a quarterback with the second overall pick.