The NBA and the NFL are a bit yin and yang. Contrasting leagues coming together to form the balanced foundation that society rests on! But really, their respective drafts are a microcosm of how different the two are. The NBA drafting process is fairly straightforward. All 5 positions more or less hold equal value. So the draft becomes a linear hierarchy of the best prospects in descending order. The best player goes 1st, the next best goes 2nd, and so on. The NFL Draft, though, isn’t a meritocracy. It’s more nuanced because of certain positions being more valuable. Conventionally, front offices can’t quite justify drafting a skill-position guy over a quarterback when you desperately need the latter. However, 2-way unicorn Travis Hunter resonates with anything but convention. You’ve gotta make an exception for generational blue-chip prospects like him. This creates a conundrum for the QB-needy Cleveland Browns.
With mere hours left before the Tennessee Titans are on the clock and commish Roger Goodell gets on that podium in Green Bay, a few things have become apparent. The Titans are almost assuredly picking Cam Ward 1st overall to fill their void under center. Then come the Browns. That DeShaun Watson trade and subsequent fully-guaranteed contract has really hamstrung the franchise. Both in terms of cap space and on-field enterprise. So much so that the only way out is hitting on a quarterback on the rookie-scale contract. With Cam Ward off the board, Shedeur Sanders becomes the best available QB in this draft class. However, his tape and general draft grade don’t quite warrant the Browns using the #2 pick on him. It’s unanimously perceived as an overpay. Especially with his Colorado teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter available. So what’s the solution?
It’s a difficult position to be in for the Browns. Draft for team fit, or take the best player in the class? Travis Hunter could accentuate their receiving corps. in tandem with Jerry Jeudy, while also bolstering their secondary on the other side of the football. However, it’s futile if you don’t have a competent signal-caller spearheading the operation. As cliched as it sounds, you only go as far as your quarterback takes you. But there is a way for the Browns brass and HC Kevin Stefanski to have their cake and eat it, too. There’s a rather prevalent school of thought out there that the front office could indulge in some acrobatics to draft both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. Something that wouldn’t just resuscitate this perennial underachiever on the field, but bring star power off it too.
Over IG, @nflrookiewatch relayed a steaming-hot revelation right off the conveyor belt at the rumor mill to their 65k followers. “There are reportedly ‘serious draft day rumblings’ that the Browns are looking to attempt to secure both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in tonight’s first round of the NFL Draft,” they wrote. How, you ask? By trading up of course, into a range in and around where Shedeur Sanders is expected to go. The Browns also hold the 2nd pick of round 2 in the draft (33rd overall). Meaning they wouldn’t really have to part with the king’s ransom to trade into the late-teens or early 20s. Which, according to the oddsmakers, is where Shedeur’s stock is at mere hours prior to the draft.
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