NFL Draft could be blown wide open as New York Giants and Cleveland Browns consider trades

By JACK BEZANTS

This week’s NFL Draft could be turned upside down amid a bombshell report on Tuesday that the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants could trade away their top picks.

The Browns hold the second pick behind the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants have the third choice. They were expected to tussle between two elite prospects in pass rusher Abdul Carter and cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter.

But according to ESPN, both teams are now considering offers to trade those picks away after receiving calls in the last 48 hours from unnamed teams.

In the report’s phrasing, neither the Giants nor Browns are ‘outwardly rejecting’ attempts to acquire their top picks. 

Both teams are in dire need of an overhaul after miserable 2024 campaigns, and while the higher draft picks are a coveted prize, a package of players and future picks could force teams to consider a move at such a late stage.

Heisman Trophy winner Hunter is an especially intriguing player given that he can play both cornerback and wide receiver.

Giants GM Joe Schoen could opt to trade away his team’s No. 3 overall pick on Thursday

Travis Hunter is expected to go within the top three picks of the NFL Draft on Thursday

Last week, Browns GM Andrew Berry compared him to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. 

The Titans, meanwhile, are said to be holding on to the No. 1 pick for Thursday night in Green Bay, where they are widely expected to go for quarterback Cam Ward.

While Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders were once seen as rivals to go No. 1 overall, the gap in their respective evaluations has widened, with Sanders now pegged by some to fall out of the first round entirely.

Following their signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, the Giants now appear more likely to use their No. 3 pick – if it is not traded – to select Carter or Hunter than Sanders. 

However, the Giants have extensively scouted the son of NFL legend Deion and worked him out at their facility in New Jersey last week.

That has led some to float the possibility that Big Blue could look to select him later in the first round if they can acquire another pick on Day One of the Draft. 

Cleveland, meanwhile, badly needs a quarterback as well after Deshaun Watson continued to badly struggle last season while playing on a $230million contract.

The team reunited with 40-year-old Joe Flacco but will be looking for their passer of the future after going just 3-14 last year. 

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NFL Draft could be blown wide open as New York Giants and Cleveland Browns consider trades

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