Cam Ward seems locked the top pick, will the Browns NFL draft pick be Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders?
Nothing is certain in the NFL until the ink is dry, or, more accurately email is sent or the announcement is made or the phone call is finished (we know it is no longer fax machines after Sashi Brown stopped the AJ McCarron trade). The NFL draft is even more wild as speculation has run rampant since before the 2024 NFL season ended.
Early in the process, QB Cam Ward was assumed to be the top overall pick with the Cleveland Browns likely selecting DE Abdul Carter or QB Shedeur Sanders. QB Jalen Milroe and veteran Kirk Cousins were believed to be Cleveland-bound.
NFL mock drafts have been all over the place as we wonder if the Browns should be aggressive and try to move up to get Ward with the first pick. Tuesday of the second week of NFL free agency, the same day The Haslam Sports Group released another stadium update, two national mock draft experts had Cleveland selecting the same player: Carter.
First, it was ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. (subscriber, $):
This is close. Really close. Travis Hunter would be outstanding here, regardless of whether the Browns use him on offense or defense. But I ultimately settled on Carter because he gives Jim Schwartz the second top-tier edge rusher that he has coveted since becoming Cleveland’s defensive coordinator in 2023. The Browns would suddenly have two great wide-9 pass rushers in Carter and Myles Garrett, who was extended earlier this month after initially requesting a trade. Carter uses his outstanding instincts and burst to get into the backfield and make plays. He had 12 sacks, 61 pressures and 23.5 tackles for loss last season.
Drafting a quarterback wouldn’t be out of the question, either. But Cleveland did trade for Kenny Pickett, and it is still in the mix for Russell Wilson. Going with one of the two elite prospects in this class just makes more sense right now.
Not sure Pickett or Wilson are reasons not to select a quarterback but noting that Carter and Hunter are “the two elite prospects in this class” does explain the decision a bit better.
Then, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah joined the Carter to Cleveland party:
The Browns could be weighing taking Carter second and a quarterback in Round 2 versus picking Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 and waiting on an edge rusher until the second round. I think you can make a strong argument that taking Carter and waiting for a second-tier QB in Round 2 is the better option.
An interesting assumption from Jeremiah that Cleveland is locked into quarterback and edge rusher with their first two picks. While none have Carter’s upside, the Browns do have some quality pieces across from Garrett.
In both of the expert’s mock drafts, Sanders is next off the board with the third pick. Jaxson Dart is also selected in the first round of each mock draft, ninth in Kiper’s and 21st in Jeremiah’s, while some believe he is a Day 3 quarterback.
Do you read into both Kiper and Jeremiah have the same three players off the board to start their mock drafts on the same day? How would you feel about Carter with the second pick with Sanders being selected right behind him?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below and see what other Browns fans are thinking