One particular NFC South team could be trying to move up in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Cleveland Browns currently possess the No.2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll keep it if they receive an enticing trade offer on draft night.
As of right now, it’s fair to say that the team should hold on to the pick and take a quarterback, but if Andrew Berry falls in love with the value of a trade proposal, he’ll heavily consider it.
Though a few teams could want to move up to No.2, one specific franchise might get aggressive in the first round this year:
The Carolina Panthers.
Carolina has been incredibly underwhelming over the past two seasons, and one of the main reasons why has been its overall defensive performance and complete lack of pass rush ability. There’s a good chance that they’re currently chomping at the bit for Penn State DE Abdul Carter, which means that they’d be more than willing to make an enticing offer to Cleveland to get him.
The Panthers have done a great job improving their interior defensive line this offseason, but their edge rushers are still insufficient. They’re seemingly set to rely on an aging Jadeveon Clowney and disappointing 2024 free-agent D.J. Wonnum to handle a majority of the snaps, which isn’t ideal for what Carolina DC Ejiro Evero wants to do.
Abdul Carter would give them another “Brian Burns-like” pass rusher who has the potential to be a pro-bowler for the foreseeable future.
The Panthers took a lot of flack for getting rid of Burns last off-season and their defense suffered immensely because of it. This might be GM Dan Morgan’s best opportunity to fix it.
Here’s an example of what a trade with Carolina could look like on draft night:
Cleveland gets:
- Round 1, Pick 8
- Round 3, Pick 74
- Round 1 Pick 2026
- TE James Mitchell
Carolina gets:
- Round 1, Pick 2 (Abdul Carter)
- Round 4, Pick 104
An offer like this appears to be fair for both organizations and still nets Cleveland a top-10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
This type of trade proposal might be too good for Andrew Berry and Co. to turn down on draft night, one of the main reasons being that QB Shedeur Sanders has a slight chance of still being on the board after the move.
Would you make this trade if you were Cleveland? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.