What did Jaguars trade for Travis Hunter? Revisiting 2025 NFL Draft deal for No. 2 overall pick

Daniel Mader

What did Jaguars trade for Travis Hunter? Revisiting 2025 NFL Draft deal for No. 2 overall pick image

The Jacksonville Jaguars decided in April 2025 that they wanted a dynamic talent -- a player who, while at Colorado, excelled on both sides of the ball.

Travis Hunter landed in Jacksonville with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, instantly becoming an offensive weapon for Trevor Lawrence and providing his elite skills at corner to the Jaguars' defense.  

However, it did cost Jacksonville's front office to get Hunter. The Jaguars traded up in the draft to land him after Cam Ward went No. 1 to the Titans; in a deal with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville let go of some significant draft capital.

Here's what to know about the Jaguars-Browns trade that helped the former Colorado two-way star wind up in Jacksonville.

MORE: Travis Hunter's full family tree

Travis Hunter trade details

  • Jaguars receive: 2025 1st-round pick (No. 2 overall), 2025 4th-round pick (No. 104 overall), 2025 6th-round pick (No. 200 overall) 
  • Browns receive: 2025 1st-round pick (No. 5 overall), 2025 2nd-round pick (No. 36 overall), 2025 4th-round pick (No. 126 overall), 2026 1st-round pick

The Jaguars' and Browns' draft-day trade in 2025 involved a ton of draft picks, most of which were in that year's draft. It was Jacksonville that was moving up in the first round, which is why they had to pay a bit more — the Jaguars let go of their 2026 first-rounder, as well as a second- and fourth-rounder in 2025 so they could jump from No. 5 to No. 2.

Here are the players the Jaguars used to draft with the picks they got from Cleveland:

  • No. 2 overall: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
  • No. 104 overall: RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
  • No. 200 overall: S Rayuan Lane III, Navy

Meanwhile, here's who the Browns used their three 2025 picks from the Jaguars on:

  • No. 5 overall: DT Mason Graham, Michigan
  • No. 36 overall: RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
  • No. 126 overall: RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee

While Jacksonville primarily did the deal to move up and assure it could land Hunter, who was set on being a two-way player in the NFL, the Browns came out with some intriguing names as well. Cleveland not only will get Jacksonville's 2026 first-round pick, but moved down to land an impactful defender in Graham, plus a pair of running backs in Judkins and Sampson.

Following the departure of Nick Chubb in free agency, Judkins and Sampson gave Cleveland two young, dynamic weapons to use out of the backfield.

The Jaguars also used draft compensation from the Browns to take Tuten in the fourth round, making him a backup to starter Travis Etienne, as well as a safety in Lane.

Executives from the Browns and Jaguars have spoken about the deal since, especially in the weeks following the draft. Browns GM Andrew Berry told CBS Sports that he made the deal to "take a very good player but significantly increase the amount of resources that you have to build the team over a multi-year time horizon."

Jaguars GM James Gladstone also told CBS Sports that the trade first was pieced together around two weeks before the draft, and that framework was officially in place when the Browns were on the clock at No. 2. Until then, they kept the trade under wraps.

"Keeping it quiet, that's not always the easiest thing to do," Gladstone told CBS Sports. "I was like, 'Andrew, I think we're kind of in luck because nobody really actually has my number.' It's not like I can talk to many people because it's an unknown caller. That luxury doesn't last much longer."

On Hunter, Gladstone said he believed the Colorado star was "somebody we thought could give us an impact on both sides of the ball."

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Who did Browns draft with Travis Hunter pick?

The Browns acquired four draft picks in the deal that virtually sent Hunter to the Jaguars. Three of those picks have been made, with the fourth being the Jaguars' 2026 first-round pick.

With the No. 5 overall pick, which Jacksonville originally owned, Cleveland went with defense in defensive tackle Mason Graham. He had registered 46 tackles and 3.5 sacks for Michigan in the 2024 season, instantly bolstering a starting defensive line that included star Myles Garrett.

The Browns also used two of their Jaguars picks to take running backs in Quinshon Judkins (No. 36 overall) and Dylan Sampson (No. 126 overall). Both were expected to have immediate roles with Nick Chubb gone, and that was the case early in the season.

While Judkins dealt with off-the-field issues that prevented him from signing his rookie deal with the Browns until the verge of Week 1 in 2025, proceeding to post 237 rushing yards in his first three games. Sampson also saw some playing time early in 2025, including 64 receiving yards in Week 1 alone.

MORE: Ranking the best Ohio State WRs in the NFL

2025 NFL Draft order

Here's a full look at the results from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

PickTeamSelection
1TitansQB Cam Ward
2Jaguars*CB/WR Travis Hunter
3GiantsEDGE Abdul Carter
4PatriotsOT Will Campbell
5Browns*DT Mason Graham
6RaidersRB Ashton Jeanty
7JetsOT Armand Membou
8PanthersWR Tetairoa McMillan
9SaintsOT Kelvin Banks
10BearsTE Colston Loveland
1149ersEDGE Mykel Williams
12CowboysG Tyler Booker
13DolphinsDT Kenneth Grant
14ColtsTE Tyler Warren
15FalconsEDGE Jalon Walker
16CardinalsDT Walter Nolen
17BengalsEDGE Shemar Stewart
18SeahawksG Grey Zabel
19BuccaneersWR Emeka Egbuka
20BroncosCB Jahdae Barron
21SteelersDT Derrick Harmon
22ChargersRB Omarion Hampton
23PackersWR Matthew Golden
24VikingsG Donovan Jackson
25Giants*QB Jaxson Dart
26Falcons*EDGE James Pearce Jr.
27RavensS Malachi Starks
28LionsDT Tyleik Williams
29CommandersOT Josh Conerly Jr.
30BillsCB Maxwell Hairston
31Eagles*LB Jihaad Campbell
32Chiefs*OT Josh Simmons

*Received pick via trade

Daniel Mader

Daniel Mader is a Content Producer for The Sporting News. He joined SN in 2024 as an editorial intern following graduation from Penn State University. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports, the Centre Daily Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Daily Collegian and LancasterOnline. Daniel grew up in Lancaster, Penn., with a love for baseball that’ll never fade, but could also talk basketball or football for days.