Week 17 saw a major reshuffling in the NFL draft order ahead of 2025. While the Cleveland Browns did what they had to do to stay ahead in the draft order, the New York Giants won against the Indianapolis Colts to fall out of their guaranteed number one overall pick positioning. That loss shoved the Browns up two spots from fifth overall.
This means that, assuming the New England Patriots get Travis Hunter first overall to pair with Drake Maye and the Tennessee Titans select one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward to address their quarterback hole, the Browns are in prime position to also select one of the two best quarterbacks in this draft.
However, this class is weak overall for QBs. While Ward and Sanders have high ceilings, neither are considered to be on the level of 2024's class that included Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix - two candidates for Rookie of the Year. Cleveland can and should draft a quarterback to replace Dorian Thompson-Robinson in training camp - but will they?
Possibly not.
Why the Browns might trade back from third overall
Cleveland has a ton of holes to address outside of quarterback. Their offensive line needs a major reinforcing, they can use some extra help in the secondary, and they can really snaz up their offense by taking a second or third round running back to complement Nick Chubb. Quarterback is an important issue to fix, but they might be content to address that issue through a trade or free agency.
A trade, specifically, might be why we see the Browns trade down or out of the third overall pick entirely. If there's a quarterback available on the trade market that might require a few picks - such as the Minnesota Vikings' JJ McCarthy or the Atlanta Falcons' Kirk Cousins - the Browns might try to consolidate their first rounder into a bigger pick package that they can then ship off for someone.
Read more: Updated 2025 NFL Draft order after Browns' Week 17 loss to Dolphins
This is assuming that they also wouldn't want to include one of their more high caliber player in a trade to make one happen. Myles Garrett feels like the most obvious target as he's expressed his frustration with how long he's waited for Cleveland to be a winning team again. But, trading Garrett would likely mean a haul much greater than just a QB.
The third pick in the draft could be big for teams like the Las Vegas Raiders or New Orleans Saints, who also need a quarterback to address their issues at signal caller. A deal with either of those teams makes sense if Cleveland is also OK to wait until later in the first round to take an offensive linemen or defensive linemen, and fine to wait until the second round to snag a QB.
Given the recent contract restructuring done with Deshaun Watson, it's a given that he'll be given a chance to at least compete for the starting role again once he's healthy. With that said, it feels like less of a sure thing that the Browns are aiming to find his replacement in Ward or Sanders, and more likely that they're going to be fine with struggling again in 2025 to land a better QB in 2026.