NFL draft: Browns pass on QB for Travis Hunter in 7-round mock draft
The Cleveland Browns enter the 2025 NFL draft holding the No. 2 overall pick and in need of overhauling the offensive side of the ball. So let's put the bulk of our focus in this mock draft there.
Looking at the results of NFL free agency thus far, there are obvious positions the Browns still need to address with the draft now just a month away. Some of those positions include wide receiver, quarterback, running back, a younger player at offensive tackle, and safety. The Browns still have 10 draft picks to use to upgrade their roster and may need every single one of them to add two handfuls of rookie contracts to their books.
What kind of dent can the Browns make in their team needs next month?
Using PFF's mock draft simulator, here is how a full seven-round mock draft shook out for me:
Round 1, Pick 2: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
Looking to improve their roster drastically, the Browns might be better off taking a blue-chip talent and taking the quarterback later on with a veteran as the starter in 2025. That's just what they do here with Colorado's Heisman Trophy-winning Travis Hunter. The Browns have stated they view Hunter as a wide receiver, and he pairs perfectly with Jerry Jeudy. The wide receiver room needs a massive infusion of talent opposite Jeudy, and Hunter has legit WR1 potential at the top of the draft. He can also play a limited number of snaps in nickel and dime packages as well as high-leverage defensive situations.
Round 2, Pick 33: S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
There is no reason that Nick Emmanwori should fall to pick No. 33. But he did in this simulation, and the Browns desperately need a safety. A top-10 player on Daft on Draft's board (and that was before he tested as a 99th percentile athlete at the NFL combine), Emmanwori is big, fast, strong, and smart. He also brings a great deal of alignment versatility to the table as well for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to play around with.
Round 3, Pick 67: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Passing on a quarterback in the first round, the Browns come around here and grab Alabama's Jalen Milroe at the top of the third round. They add him to a quarterback room of Kenny Pickett and a veteran to be named later at this point. Running a legit 4.4 40-yard dash with a big arm, Milroe has plenty of tools to work with. The question remains if the Browns are the team to get the most out of him.
Round 3, Pick 94: RB DJ Giddens, Kansas State
DJ Giddens is the most underrated running back in the 2025 NFL draft. While some will place more value on an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, a skillset that Giddens needs to improve, he has some of the best eyes and feet in the class. Giddens is a bonafide 1,000-yard rusher who went out and tested like a freak at the combine as well. In desperate need of a long-term future at the running back position, Giddens is a heck of an answer.
Round 4, Pick 104: TE Harold Fannin, Bowling Green
With the move back to a wide zone offense, the Browns will be heading back into a lot of 12 and 13 personnel looks. There is just one problem, however: they do not have any tight ends to field outside of David Njoku. Here they draft a move piece in Bowling Green standout Harold Fannin Jr. He can line up in-line as a TE2, in the slot, or even in the backfield as an H-back. Envision what Harrison Bryant used to do for the Browns and then multiply it by two.
Round 6, Pick 179: OL Emery Jones Jr., LSU
The Browns signed Teven Jenkins, likely as their utility player along their offensive line in heavy personnel sets (six offensive linemen on the field). However, without contract details, we have to assume that the deal is a minimal and short-term deal. Here they draft an athletic player with tackle starting experience who projects better at guard in the NFL. Emery Jones has a sky-high ceiling but remains incredibly raw despite starting for three years at right tackle for the LSU Tigers. Could the Bill Callahan disciple Mike Bloomgren be the guy to get that sky-high talent out of him?
Round 6, Pick 192: LB Smael Mondon, Georgia
![Browns land Smael Mondon in 2025 NFL draft mock draft. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://media.zenfs.com/en/cleveland_browns_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_724/811e646eece6268b2bbaff04246434cc)
The Browns have to turn over every stone as the future of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains up in the air. They have already re-signed Devin Bush and added Jerome Baker in NFL free agency, but adding another youngster to the room gives them depth under contract control for the next four years. The highs of Smael Mondon are extraordinary, but his lows are so low. A freak athlete similar to Mohamoud Diabate, the Browns could bring Mondon in here as a special teamer who could grow into a defensive contributor as he continues to sharpen the mental side of his game.
Round 6, Pick 200: C Jonah Monheim, USC
Ethan Pocic is entering a contract year and Luke Wypler is entering the third year of his deal fresh off of a season-ending broken ankle in 2024. There might not be a better wide zone fit at the center position on Day 3 of the draft than USC's Jonah Monheim. He started at left tackle for the Trojans up until his last season in Los Angeles where he played his most natural position at center. He's a bit developmental at this point but adds depth with potential starter upside late.
Round 6, Pick 216: CB/N Jordan Hancock, Ohio State
Can the Browns run their streak of selecting Ohio State Buckeyes to three years in a row? From Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler two years ago, to Mike Hall Jr. last year, the Browns have had a knack for traveling a short distance down I-71 South. Jordan Hancock brings both nickel corner and safety versatility to the Browns as they potentially look to replace Greg Newsome II. Besides, the Browns draft a corner every single season.
Round 7, Pick 254: DT Thor Griffith, Louisville
A Harvard transfer, Thor Griffith will fit right in with the Ivy Leaguers in Cleveland. Not to mention, he is a freak athlete who was mentioned in The Athletic's Bruce Feldman's Freaks List. While Griffith did not receive a combine invite, Feldman has reported Griffith can bench 225 pounds 45 times, runs a 4.95 40-yard dash with a 1.65 10-yard split, and a short shuttle time of 4.57 seconds. He recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss in his one season at the FBS level.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns take Travis Hunter in new 2025 NFL draft mock draft
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