As Browns rumors swirl, a look at Shedeur Sanders, Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter
With the NFL Draft approaching, the Cleveland Browns will have their options with the second overall pick. As far as what direction the team will go, most believe the team will take a quarterback in Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (with Tennessee Titans taking Miami QB Cam Ward first overall), some believe they will take Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, or they could opt for defense and take Penn state edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Each decision has potential upsides and downsides to whoever Cleveland decides to draft, so let’s look at all the options:
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Upside: Browns have their franchise quarterback
It’s been a topic of discussion since the team moved back to the city. Cleveland has had a carousel of quarterbacks, but no one has shown to be the guy to lead the team to the promise land.
Some will argue former Browns and current Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield came close to being the guy, but it never materialized. The team traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, but it turned out to be a disaster.
If the Browns were to draft quarterback QB Shedeur Sanders second overall, the front office would obviously believe in Sanders to be the guy that will help the Browns achieve new heights. Sanders would be the ideal fit for the offense that head coach Kevin Stefanski runs, as the team is moving back to the West Coast offense.
Sanders comes in and he turns out to be the guy and Cleveland has their franchise quarterback for years.
Downside: Sanders ends up not being the guy and Browns are back at square 1
Allow me to clarify. Sanders is talented, there is no denying it. However, taking Sanders at 2 would signal that the Browns believe he is the quarterback for this franchise for a long time.
What if it turns out to not be the case?
As mentioned previously, this quarterback class isn’t particularly strong. Sanders’s ceiling isn’t as high compared to Cam Ward or Jalen Milroe. The question of whether or not he can elevate an entire franchise is a valid concern. If he’s not, you are back at square one, searching for another quarterback, because you essentially wasted a pick on someone who isn’t the guy you thought he would be.
Sanders could end up being good, but taking him high over highly ranked prospects will not sit well with some.
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter
Upside: Myles Garrett finds his counterpart, Browns have a top 2 edge duo in the league
If you look closely at the current landscape of edge rushers, you will notice a small trend that is slowly starting to manifest. Edge rusher duos are slowly becoming a big thing in terms of NFL defenses:
- Houston Texans: Will Anderson Jr & Danielle Hunter
- Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt & Alex Highsmith
- Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Greenard & Andrew Van Ginkel
- Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse & Byron Young
Myles Garrett and Abdul Carter could be a top two duo for years to come. We all know how dominant Garrett is. Now, imagine having Carter on the opposite side.
With all the attention that Garrett gets, it would allow Carter to have the ability to dominate. Carter is the best edge rusher in his class and he has the tools that can be refined with the right coaching. Cleveland’s pass-rushing needs more juice, and Carter could help kickstart it and make it more lethal.
Downside: Carter underwhelms and the duo never manifests
It’s a possibility, but it seems like a low one. Carter is not a perfect prospect by any means. The Penn State product isn’t really undersized, so that shouldn’t be a concern, neither should the question of how he fits in a Jim Schwartz system.
Much like Sanders, the main concern should be whether Carter’s dominance will translate. It’s hard to imagine Carter being a complete bust where he doesn’t use his skillset to make an impact. The only issue is whether Carter is able to take advantage of the situation he’s in and lives up to his billing as the second overall pick.
Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter
Upside: Best of both worlds: #1 wide receiver on one side, top-tier corner on the other
When it comes to Travis Hunter, it’s a unique situation. Hunter played both offense and defense while he was at Colorado, and he was dominant. He won the Biletnikoff award (best wide receiver), Bednarik award (best defensive player) and the Heisman (best player in college football).
Yeah, he’s pretty good.
Hunter will likely be the primary wide receiver with his ball skills arguably the best in this class, good route running and he’s everything you want in a receiver. At cornerback? Ball skills will translate because of his experience, great ball-hawking ability and great instincts.
Travis Hunter, Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman? That’s not a bad wide receiver trio. Denzel Ward, Travis Hunter, Martin Emerson. Sounds good to me.
Downside: Browns have issues figuring out where to put Hunter and it turns into a long struggle
Hunter was able to play both sides of the ball during his tenure in college with the Buffaloes. Hunter played a ton of snaps, yet it didn’t hamper or harm his production.
Now that he’s heading to the professional level, where could Hunter play exclusively? Will he accept only playing one position and only occasionally playing the other? General manager Andrew Berry viewed Hunter as a wide receiver, but what if Hunter wants to play cornerback? Or both?
It’s a dilemma that’s not necessarily a bad one, but it’s one that can get annoying to talk about once the season starts.
If Hunter were to play receiver, he would be the best receiver on the team, but he would be more prone to having a shorter career due to how taxing it can be. If he were to play on the opposite side of the ball and play mainly defense, where specifically could he play that would benefit him?
Cleveland could choose to put him on offense and keep him there or put him on defense and use him in specific packages. It’s a good problem to have, but it can be a headache to deal with as the season goes on in trying to figure out which side suits him the best, especially if the star Heisman Trophy winner has plans of his own.