As recently as for an article published on Thursday morning, Jordan Raanan of ESPN noted that it “is becoming increasingly likely” that the Cleveland Browns will select Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter with the second pick of the 2025 NFL Draft assuming the Tennessee Titans make Miami quarterback Cam Ward the draft’s first choice.
Veteran Joe Flacco is preparing to compete with Kenny Pickett and a to-be-drafted rookie for Cleveland’s starting quarterback job later this summer. During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN Cleveland’s “The Really Big Show,” Flacco spoke about possibly having Hunter as a weapon this coming September.
“I don’t pay too much attention to college football anymore, but it was hard not to notice him,” Flacco said about Hunter, as shared by Tony Grossi of The Land on Demand. “You’ve got to give him credit. I mean, obviously he’s super explosive and is a game changer. Whether he’s actually going to play both ways at the next level, whatever, you like the fact that he has the ability to do that.”
While some teams reportedly view Hunter as more of a cornerback than a receiver as it pertains to at least his rookie campaign, Cleveland is expected to use and need him on both sides of the ball. In his mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned that the Browns will probably have “Hunter put most of his early practice and meeting time into defense…while building out packages for him to contribute offensively.”
In his final prospect rankings posted on Thursday, ESPN’s Field Yates listed Hunter as the top player in this year’s draft class.
“Hunter has rare versatility and a legitimate path to a Pro Bowl career as either a wide receiver or a cornerback,” Yates said. “While my personal belief is that Hunter’s ceiling is highest at wideout, I’m not agonizing much over where he will eventually end up — he will be great on either side of the ball. His ball skills and instincts are outstanding. Hunter finished the 2024 season with 36 tackles, 4 interceptions and 10 pass breakups on defense, along with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 scores on offense.”
Understandably, Flacco seems excited about the possibility of sharing a locker room with Hunter later this year.
“He’s more than just athletic,” Flacco added about Hunter. “He’s more than just a guy that can run fast and jump high. He actually has a feel for how to play the game, and he has the capability of doing multiple things. It just leads you to believe that he can probably pick things up pretty quickly, and he can be somebody that you can rely on to kind of have a really good feel for the game.”
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Hunter as the betting favorite at -350 odds to be the draft’s second pick. Barring a shocking development, Cleveland will be the team making that selection on April 24.
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