Time will tell who really won the blockbuster trade between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but for now, all the praise continues to be heaped upon young GM James Gladstone and the Jags.
Cleveland’s massive decision to trade this year’s No. 2 overall pick — and the rights to Travis Hunter — to Jacksonville hasn’t aged well, with one of the players the Browns traded back for, pass rusher Mason Graham, vomiting during the team’s rookie minicamp. Hunter, meanwhile, has been flashing his unique two-way skills with the Jaguars.
Bleacher Report recently added to that narrative by ranking Jacksonville’s trade for Hunter among their top 20 moves of the 2025 offseason to date.
“Yes, it was an expensive move. Trading up to draft Travis Hunter second overall cost the Jaguars their second-rounder in 2025 and their first pick in 2026,” B/R’s Gary Davenport wrote. “But not only did the Jaguars get a potentially game-changing wide receiver/cornerback with the two-way star, but all the hubbub surrounding him has also taken some of the spotlight off quarterback Trevor Lawrence, allowing him to focus on turning his career around.”
Depending how things pan out this season for new head coach Liam Coen and the Jaguars, the Browns could be sitting pretty with a pair of top-10 picks next year. And while there’s been some online (and unfounded) skepticism surrounding Graham’s conditioning, the prospects of former Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins — another product of the Hunter trade — are heading in the right direction after OTAs.
Again, it’s way too early to say the Browns completely botched the Hunter deal. But the NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately entertainment business, and Hunter’s bound to continue stealing the headlines for the foreseeable future.