Dawgs By Nature
Rumors have been all over the place but here is a prediction of how the Browns QB, early draft plans
The NFL draft kicks off in less than a month, April 24th to be exact, and the Cleveland Browns will be on the clock quickly. The rumors have been all over the place but anyone saying they know for sure what the Browns will do is either lying or delusional.
Cleveland GM Andrew Berry and company likely have not solidified their plans yet.
Some of that is due to the uncertainty at the top of the NFL draft. If the Tennessee Titans do not select QB Cam Ward, the Browns plans could change drastically. QB Kirk Cousins, who holds a no-trade clause, is reportedly waiting to see what teams do in the first round of the draft before, along with his team the Atlanta Falcons, finalizing his plans for 2025.
Cousins’ visit to the Cleveland area Thursday was reportedly for “non-football reasons,” but not everyone is buying that.
In mid-January, I shared a number of rumors I had been hearing. I also noted the Browns interest in trading for WR Brandon Aiyuk following the NFL combine. Based on everything I have heard over the last month or so, here are my predictions for a few of the important decisions Cleveland’s brass will make (in timeline order):
There are too many issues with Aiyuk’s contract to make the deal work, especially depending on who the Browns are interested in at the top of the draft. Aiyuk’s situation has to be resolved by the start of April so a decision should be made soon.
It would not be shocking to see Aiyuk as a free agent in the near future, given his injury and contract, but the San Francisco 49ers might be concerned about losing another weapon as well. If Aiyuk is a free agent, Berry will make a call but the speedster might have better options.
Select WR/CB Travis Hunter
The Browns are open to trading the pick or selecting DE Abdul Carter but the explosive ability of Hunter has them very intrigued. Hunter joining the cornerback room sometimes helps his stock but his ball skills, change of direction ability and raw athleticism has folks in Berea very excited.
Select QB Jalen Milroe
Now, I had to be cautious in how I worded the header here, as I am not sure if Cleveland will feel the need to trade up into the backend of the first round to get Milroe. They may also want to do so to control the quarterback for five years instead of four.
If the Browns trade out of the second overall selection, they will end up with a lot of flexibility to select Milroe, even if they have to be overly aggressive.
While Milroe’s college film has a lot of concerning issues, his footwork improvement was obvious at both...
