Travis Hunter is one of the best, if not the best, prospects in this year's NFL draft. He's a unicorn. He's football's Shohei Ohtani, as described by Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry and draft analyst Thor Nystrom.
Why not take him if you're the Browns, then? There's no way you're getting the opportunity to take a similar player to him anytime soon, and adding him to the locker room would give Cleveland a boost in the one area they've needed one for years - on offense. Adding him alongside Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and David Njoku will only make them better.
He's also a great addition to the field for an older quarterback like Joe Flacco, who could start for the team in 2025. If he has targets ranging from Njoku to Hunter, he's set to have a bounceback year from his season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024.
That isn't going to stop the Browns and Berry from hearing other teams out on their offers for the pick, though. It's smart to keep listening, because you never know how desperate a team can get by the time Cleveland's on the clock. But, it feels scary to imagine the team punting another chance at an elite prospect.
That's the scenario being laid out by several analysts, though, and specifically by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport as he reported on draft-eve that the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to move up to the 2 spot.
Jaguars seeking to convince Browns to fork over 2nd overall pick
Rapoport shared his report a night before the draft, claiming that the Jaguars' new front office and coaching staff are seeking to make a "bold" move on night one, and are looking to try to move up to the Browns' spot in the draft this year.
"...But what if the Jaguars go from 5 to 2? It would cost a lot, and it would be a big, bright, shiny object in Jacksonville. Let the Cleveland Browns collect some picks, continue to build their team. Those conversations are expected to go on as we get closer to tomorrow night."
It's hard to imagine that the Browns, for giving up the chance at Hunter, would be okay with only taking on a bunch of other draft picks and the 5th overall pick for him. They'd likely demand a veteran in exchange for the pick, and the only one that makes sense in terms of their needs is to ask for Trevor Lawrence back from Jacksonville.
That's likely not going to be something the Jaguars are okay with doing, especially since they're clearly looking to pair Hunter with Lawrence, and not swap one for the other. So, it remains to be seen how this deal would or could get done barring a major roster shakeup for Jacksonville.
