The Cleveland Browns made the most shocking move in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when they traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the No. 5 pick and a handful of other selections.
After Jacksonville selected Travis Hunter, Cleveland selected defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5, giving the Browns a potential anchor for the next decade who can take some pressure off of Myles Garrett.
Next Gen Stats Analytics named the Graham selection among the “best value picks” in the entire first round.
“Graham is here not just because of where he was chosen — No. 5 overall is fair value for one of the top prospects in this year’s class. The return that general manager Andrew Berry secured in a trade down is what elevates this selection into the value-pick conversation. … Graham brings blue-chip talent to a position of need. When his analytic bona fides are combined with the long-term flexibility provided by the move down — potentially setting up a future move for a franchise quarterback, as owner Jimmy Haslam suggested pre-draft — this was one of the shrewdest moves of Round 1,” it wrote for NFL.com.
Graham was always seen as a safe bet atop the first round and should live up to expectations after a dominant career at Michigan, and for a franchise that has a lot to worry about, it helps to have a pillar heading into a rebuild.
The second part of the analysis is interesting because Cleveland is now in a prime position to draft a quarterback in the second round with either pick No. 33 or No. 36.
Shedeur Sanders was mocked to the Browns at No. 2 overall during this offseason, and he is now available with a second-round selection if the team still sees him as a potential franchise QB who can officially close the door on the Deshaun Watson era.
The Browns aren’t just one player away from being great, so passing on Hunter to recoup assets lost in the Watson trade is a savvy move.
Now, the Browns just have to execute with the added draft capital at their disposal.
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Bruce Drennan Names 3 Prospects Browns Could Take In Second Round
