Growing Belief That Browns Will Select Generational Talent at No. 2 Overall
There’s a growing belief that Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter will be selected by the Cleveland Browns at No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter was the previous betting favorite to be drafted No. 2 overall. A duo with Myles Garrett and Carter would be lethal for Cleveland, but Hunter is a generational talent. He’s a two-way player and can address both wide receiver and cornerback for the Browns.
Following Howe’s report, Hunter surpassed Carter on popular sportsbooks FanDuel (-140) and DraftKings (-130) as the favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick.
At Colorado last season, Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense and 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups, eight forced incompletions and four interceptions on defense while allowing just one touchdown. In the Buffaloes’ regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, he became the only FBS player in the past 25 years with three scrimmage touchdowns on offense and an interception in the same game, according to ESPN Research.
Hunter won the Heisman, Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player) and Fred Biletnikoff (top wide receiver) awards in 2024. Hunter said whether he will primarily be a wide receiver or cornerback in the NFL depends “on the team that picks me.”
Hunter turned heads at his Colorado pro day with his crisp routes.
“Played football a long time. Been around football a long time-hanging out around pros in the league since middle school. Never seen a guy catch the ball, no gloves, while running routes, and NOT see him “bobble” it, double catch it, or hear the ball when it hit his hands, like I witnessed yesterday with Travis Hunter. He’s the natural. True 1 of 1 type stuff,” former NFL executive Louis Riddick wrote on X.
The Browns traded a king’s ransom, which included three first-round picks, for quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022. Following three frustrating years, the team is finally admitting it was a huge mistake.
At the NFL owners meetings, owner Jimmy Haslam confessed the trade has set his organization back several years.
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam said via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”
After the Watson debacle, the Browns could turn their franchise around by landing a talent like Hunter. For sure, the Browns will need to add some more pieces, but NFL executives believe Hunter can have an an astronomical impact on whatever team he lands with.
If Hunter goes to Cleveland, he could be a thorn in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ side for years to come.