The Cleveland Browns may have already made up their minds about their first-round pick.
Many Insiders project that Travis Hunter is currently the leading candidate to be a Brown, and while a lot can happen in the next couple of weeks, it might take a big turn of events for that to change.
However, there’s a scenario in which they could possibly get Shedeur Sanders as well.
According to Ian Valentino of “The 33rd Team,” Sanders could drop all the way to No. 20 in which the Browns would trade back into the first round to draft him.
“Can Cleveland have its custom cake and eat it, too? If New Orleans passes on Shedeur Sanders at No. 9, the watch is on for a major slide. Sanders has the right mental makeup to be a star, but concerns about his average traits are justified. If Cleveland can snipe Pittsburgh for him without giving up a 2026 first-rounder, it should absolutely consider it,” Valentino wrote.
Of course, that would mean that all QB-needy teams, such as the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints, don’t take him, and that would only raise more doubts and questions about Sanders’ lack of elite traits.
Also, the Browns will most likely have to pay a steep price to move up from No. 33 to No. 20, and while they have more than enough draft assets to package together, they might not be interested in doing so.
Sanders doesn’t have the makings of a star, at least on the football field.
He’s going to sell a lot of tickets and jerseys and have plenty of reactions and followers on social media, but there’s nothing about his actual game that justifies being the No. 2 pick.
Then again, things are quite different when you think of him as the No. 20 selection.
The Browns have several needs to address in the NFL Draft, but the good thing about it is that they also seem to have a lot of options.