The Cleveland Browns took a calculated risk during the 2025 NFL Draft.
They held the No. 2 pick, the one that almost certainly was going to land on Travis Hunter, the two-way Heisman winner from Colorado. But the Browns traded that pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jags may have overpaid, but they also got Hunter. It looked like a case of Cleveland passing on a generational talent, and they made it feel even less exciting on draft night by taking a defensive tackle, Mason Graham, at No. 5.
But Graham wasn't the whole return, of course. The Browns also got the Jags' 2026 first-round pick, and they got the 36th pick in 2025, which they used to take Quinshon Judkins.
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Graham has played very well in the early going, and after Judkins signed late following offseason legal trouble, he has hit the ground running since his Week 2 debut.
Despite playing one fewer week than the other rookies, Judkins leads his draft class in rushing yards.
He scored the game-tying touchdown from close range on Sunday in an upset win of the Packers.
Meanwhile, Hunter has yet to make much offensive impact (although he had some great cornerback reps against the Texans in Week 3).
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The reality here is this: If the Browns got three high-quality players for the price of one, it'll look like a trade win.
Graham looks as advertised. So does Judkins. If Cleveland can nail that first-rounder from Jacksonville next year (or use it with their own to trade up for a QB), it'll even out with Hunter no matter how good he becomes.
Yes, of course, it would've been fun to have Hunter. But the Browns may have wound up better off.
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