With hype and speculation building for the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a shift in the draft betting odds at top-rated sportsbooks this week for the No. 2 pick, held by the Cleveland Browns.
After the Colorado Buffaloes held their pro day last week, the Browns reportedly met with Travis Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who wishes to be a corner and wide receiver in the NFL too. ESPN insider Adam Schefter then tweeted out that Cleveland’s No. 2 pick is likely going to be Hunter now, which caused the odds to shift.
Previously, it was thought that Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter would be Cleveland’s pick, and Hunter was the favorite to go No. 3 to the New York Giants. That has since been flipped with Hunter having -260 odds at BetOnline (check our BetOnline Review) to go No. 2 and Carter having -175 odds to go No. 3 to the Giants.
But we know that outside of the No. 1 pick, these things are rarely cemented weeks before the draft, and many things could happen between now and Round 1 on April 24, 2025. Don’t rule out a trade too, as every team is still hanging onto its original draft pick in the 1st round, the latest this has happened in the NFL since 1993.
But let’s assume the Tennessee Titans use the No. 1 pick on Miami quarterback Cam Ward as most expect them to do. What should the Browns and Giants do with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks?
Is Hunter really the best pick for the Browns, or should they strengthen their strength (Myles Garrett) with a pass rusher like Carter? Is Carter the right call for the Giants, or should they consider Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders even after signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency?
Let’s look not necessarily at what will happen in the draft but make the case for what the Browns and Giants should do with these crucial picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Step 1: Fade Shedeur Sanders
We know the Giants and Browns were in the quarterback market after admitting mistakes in the last year on their moves for Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson. The Giants already moved Jones last season while the Browns are basically absorbing Watson’s abhorrent cap hit as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
If Cam Ward is off the board at No. 1, then most experts agree that Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) is the No. 2 quarterback in this class. He’s well known as the confident son of Deion Sanders, who was always his head coach at Jackson State and Colorado the last four years.
Sanders is a pocket passer with enough mobility for the NFL. However, he is prone to taking bad sacks, which was exactly one of the things that got Watson and Jones into trouble with their respective offenses. There’s also some concerns that Sanders is confident to the point of arrogance, and holding the ball too long to make plays can be a negative effect of that.
Lately, Sanders is being shifted to landing later in the draft, whether it’s the Jets (No. 7), Saints (No. 9), or Steelers (No. 21). In fact, his over/under draft position at sportsbooks is now favored to go over 8.5, suggesting he’s more on the Saints’ radar than the Giants or Browns.
Reaching for QB is a Risk
Frankly, this makes sense. If you don’t trust a quarterback to be your franchise player, then you shouldn’t spend a No. 2 overall pick on him just because he’s the No. 2 quarterback in a class that already looks like a step back from 2024’s talent and depth. That’s how you end up with Tim Couch (1999 Browns) or Marcus Mariota (2015 Titans).
Also, the Browns have shown an ability to get some decent quarterback play out of Kevin Stefanski’s offense as long as Watson isn’t the quarterback. They traded for Kenny Pickett too. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, so they have veteran options making decent money this year that should get them through 2025.
If the Browns and Giants can land incredible players at important positions like edge/corner/wideout, then that’s what they should do. I agree with fading Sanders this high in the draft for both Cleveland and New York.
Cleveland’s Choice: Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter?
With the No. 2 pick, the Browns have a fascinating decision to make that should be studied for years to come. The first question is do you strengthen a strength by drafting Abdul Carter, the No. 1 edge rusher in the draft, when you just made Myles Garrett the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history?
The Garrett Factor
Garrett turns 30 this season, so he will be on the downslope of his career during this new contract extension after he demanded a trade in February. But he should have a few more high-caliber years left in the tank. Adding someone like Carter could help him out with facing fewer chips and double teams if Carter is the real deal.
This is close to a decision the Houston Texans faced in the 2014 draft when they had the No. 1 overall pick. Do you strengthen your strength (J.J. Watt) by adding another edge rusher in Jadeveon Clowney, or do you take a quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater (who is actually a good comparison for Shedeur Sanders), or another stud?
The Texans chose Clowney, who just never lived up to the hype as a dominant pass rusher in the NFL. That’s not to say strengthening a strength never works.
But if the Browns draft Hunter, are they obliged to play him at wide receiver despite not having a settled quarterback position by any means, which could limit his impact there? Their best wideout is Jerry Jeudy, and the rest of the depth chart isn’t much to write home about. In fact, Hunter could even be a better pro than Jeudy if he commits to wideout full time in the NFL.
Cornerback Depth Already Exists
The Browns still have a Pro Bowl corner in Denzel Ward, who turns 28 this month. You can never have enough good corners in the NFL, but Hunter wouldn’t necessarily have to be their best corner for a few years.
But my argument comes down to this. You’re in the AFC, home to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, etc. You need that pass rush to disrupt those guys’ timing and throw them off their game like we saw the Eagles do in the Super Bowl with a constant 4-man rush.
The Browns have one of those pass-rushing studs in Garrett, but if Carter can be another one for them, then that should be the move here. Hunter feels like more of a luxury pick for a team that should be a bit further along in who they have at quarterback and receiver.
If I’m the Browns, I’m using the No. 2 pick on Abdul Carter.
New York’s Giant Decision
Let’s say I’m right that Cam Ward and Abdul Carter are off the board. What do the Giants do at No. 3? I think you draft Travis Hunter in that case.
If Hunter thinks he can average over 110 snaps per game in the NFL while playing corner and wide receiver, then I think someone is going to have to sit him down and have a serious talk that it won’t be maximizing his effectiveness. For a top 3 pick, you want an elite player more than you want a jack-of-all-trades who is merely “decent” at those positions.
Physical Demands of Dual Positions
This isn’t the 1940s. It’s just too hard to expect someone to play that many snaps and stay healthy and effective for a 17-game season. For that matter, we need him going strong in the 4th quarter of games to close teams out.
However, the easiest solution for Hunter’s pro potential is to make him a full-time corner who has a package of plays at wide receiver. Maybe he is heavily featured in two-minute drills at the end of halves, but for the most part, he’s only sparingly used as a WR2 behind Malik Nabers, who had a great rookie season as the team’s WR1.
Quarterback Play Won’t Be an Issue
Between Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, the Giants are going to have a quarterback who can get Hunter the ball, especially on any designed deep shots. That’s not really in question here. But expecting him to be a full-time wideout is a bit much. It’s a lot easier to design plays for him, and head coach Brian Daboll is someone who should be able to do that. If not, the Giants will have a new coach for 2026.
But the Giants are lacking in the secondary, especially after letting safety Xavier McKinney go to the Packers last year. They need a playmaker who is young back there, and they also play in an NFC East division that has wideouts like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and CeeDee Lamb. They need someone who can step up to those matchups.
The odds may have flipped on this recently, but I still believe the best moves for these teams are for Cleveland to draft Carter and for the Giants to draft Hunter.
If the Browns Draft Travis Hunter
Finally, let’s consider what happens if the Browns draft Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick. That would make Abdul Carter the best player available for the Giants, who also could look at an offensive tackle like Will Campbell (LSU).
But the Giants shouldn’t overthink this one. Yes, the Giants have recently invested in edge rushers. They spent a 2022 1st-round pick on Kayvon Thibodeaux. They traded for Brian Burns from Carolina last year. They have a stud defensive tackle in Dexter Lawrence.
Defensive Underperformance
You could argue the Giants have pieces for the pass rush, but where were the results for that 3-14 season in 2024? The defense was mediocre at best. Thibodeaux has not really lived up to his draft status yet despite some flashes of it in 2023.
There is plenty of room for improvement here, and if Carter is as good as advertised (12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in 2024), then you cannot pass that up with this pick.
A Possible Draft Disaster
Alas, watch the Giants draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty after feeling so hurt that they let Saquon Barkley go to the Eagles in 2024. That would be the funniest outcome of this draft, but that would show the team really learned zero lessons from the 2024 season.
In this case, the Giants should take the best player available, whether that’s Hunter or Carter. The betting markets think this has flipped after a Schefter tweet, but for these teams to maximize their potential, I think it needs to stay the way it was with Carter going to play with Garrett and Hunter helping out Nabers.
