Mel Kiper, draft expert for ESPN, has the Cleveland Browns passing on a quarterback for arguably the best player in the draft.

Longtime ESPN and college football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first mock draft of the 2025 NFL draft season. In the mock, he has the Browns selecting the reigning Heisman winner.

In the latest mock from our Christian D’Andrea — a top-five mini-mock — he had the Browns taking Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. But in Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock of the year for ESPN, he had Sanders’ teammate Travis Hunter going to Cleveland and Sanders going to the New York Giants at No. 3.

Of their picks in the final five rounds in the draft, only James Hudson III and Tony Fields II were on the roster in 2024. Hudson was the last of those players to play with the Browns, playing until Week 4 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Cleveland Browns: “Take a QB or trade back,” asks ESPN’s Jason Reid. “That's the Browns' dilemma. Likely stuck with Deshaun Watson's contract until 2026, the smart play would be to draft a QB while also signing a veteran through free agency.”

The Cleveland Browns have a tough decision to make this April. Following a 3-14 season, the Browns possess the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With Deshaun Watson recently undergoing a second surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon,

The Cleveland Browns have been focused on the offseason for multiple weeks now, hoping to rid the franchise of 2024's stench caused, in large part, by self-afflicted wounds. This roster is in shambles,

With the Cleveland Browns owning the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft, people are discussing what they should do when pick #2 arrives on draft night. Some are in the camp of drafting a quarterback (the team needs one) with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders or Miami QB Cam Ward.