The NFL Draft is just a few weeks away, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward will be the Titans pick at one. With the ink just about dry on that pick, the draft looks to really start with AFC North rival Browns at two. After some early speculation that Shedeur Sanders could wind up in Cleveland, a recent report from Zac Jackson of The Athletic indicates the team is set on two prospects.
“I believe with the assumption that Ward is going No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans,” wrote Jackson. “The Browns are using their final round of draft meetings to decide whether they’ll use pick No. 2 on Carter or Hunter.”
In a draft that has been labeled devoid of blue chip talent, Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter have universally regarded as the exceptions. The pair are almost unanimously ranked first or second in varying orders on most analysts’ draft boards, giving the Browns a real no-lose situation.
On one hand, they could elect to pick Carter, pairing Myles Garrett with another potential Pro Bowl-level talent. On the other they could pick Travis Hunter to either boost their receiving core with Jerry Jeudy, or create a lockdown corner duo with Denzel Ward. Either way, it seems that the Browns are taking the best player available approach to the draft.
However, according to Jackson that doesn’t mean they will be passing on the position entirely. He writes that the team will “probably” look to add a quarterback with the 33rd overall pick instead. Jackson says that the team has done their homework on many of the top quarterbacks in the class including a few that could be picked in the second round.
“Though the visits were all slightly different, the team held private workouts with quarterbacks Cam Ward of Miami, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Tyler Shough of Louisville and Jalen Milroe of Alabama,” reported Jackson.
While Ward, Dart and Sanders figure to be gone by the 33rd pick, Shough and Milroe should be around for the team, if they decide to go in that direction. That seems like an uncertainty as well though. An AFC scout told Jackson that views vary drastically on the quarterback and as many as four could go in the first round with teams trading up. If that happens, the scout says it wouldn’t surprise him if the Browns stay pat and draft a lineman.
This line of thinking would check out as well with the team continuing to add to their quarterback room, signing Joe Flacco earlier this week.
Whenever the Browns decide to take a quarterback, it seems more and more likely that it will not be happening with their first selection. That could be good news for the Steelers, who seem to be angling towards potentially taking a quarterback in the first round.
A critical part of Shedeur Sanders possibly falling to the Steelers is him making it past the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, so this would be one box checked if the Steelers are hoping for that outcome.
For what it’s worth, Louis Riddick believes that Sanders wants the Browns to pass on him.
