The Browns are without a bonafide QB1 on their roster at this point in the offseason, but they did recently make a trade for Kenny Pickett from the Eagles in return for a late pick and backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Obviously Pickett is a first-round pick by the Steelers and just won a Super Bowl as the backup to Jalen Hurts, but is he truly someone that the Browns hope to trot out there as the starter later this year?
I don’t think so.
So with the second-overall pick in this year’s draft, did Dawgs By Nature’s Jared Mueller pull the trigger on the next best quarterback in the class after Miami’s Cam Ward?
No, he did not.
Instead, Mueller chose to take one of the best overall football players in Colorado’s Travis Hunter. With the Browns roster needing a number of holes filled this offseason, why not pick a player who could fill two of them at the same time?
2. Cleveland Browns: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
Mueller: With Ward off the board and no real pressure to take a quarterback (a restart of sorts for GM Andrew Berry and HC Kevin Stefanski), the Browns are left with two great options: Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter. Hunter could be elite at either wide receiver or cornerback, but Berry has him as an electric receiver who can also play cornerback. While Carter can improve the pass rush across from Myles Garrett, Hunter gives Cleveland a playmaking dynamic that they do not have and a two-for-one selection of the best overall prospect in this year’s draft.
Analysis: The Browns need a quarterback, but the current state of their skill positions isn’t all that exciting to put around a rookie you hope can hit the ground running in Year 1. The cornerback room is also on the cusp of being too shallow behind Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II. The selection of Hunter helps elevate both rooms, even if he ends up being just a part-time offensive player.
Right now, the receiver room is Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. Tillman was a nice surprise this past season but they need more juice for whoever ends up throwing them passes. As it stands, it looks like it’ll be Pickett or possibly veteran Joe Flacco again after Russell Wilson signed with the Giants and Aaron Rodgers is seemingly tied to the Steelers.
This is a great pick for a team that wants to turn around their recent fortunes ASAP while not wanting to be forced into a quarterback in the draft.
Top five remaining players:
- Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
- Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Will Campbell, OT, LSU
After signing Russell Wilson, the Giants are no longer tied to a quarterback. That means they could take the best player available and that currently is Penn State’s Abdul Carter, which at No. 3 is a absolute steal for a player many thought could go No. 1 overall.
