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AFC North Draft Rumors: Browns, Bengals, Steelers, Ravens

April 10th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Recently, we saw the Browns host a few probable Day 2 quarterback prospects, and it made us think that Cleveland is less likely to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and more likely to take his teammate Travis Hunter or Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter then pick a quarterback at the top of the second round. During an interview on ESPN’s The Daily Grossi, Tony Grossi seemed to support this notion.

Grossi seemed to confirm that the Browns like Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe “a lot” and that they could easily select him near the second round after addressing another position at No. 2 overall. I say “near the second round” because it’s likely that Cleveland could trade up a short distance back into the first round to secure a fifth-round option for a young passer.

This fits well with Milroe’s projected draft range, which Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports puts anywhere from pick No. 20 overall to pick No. 50. Cleveland holds the first pick of the second round (No. 33 overall).

Here are a few other draft rumors coming out of the AFC North division:

  • After spending most of their offseason so far (and a huge portion of their salary cap) on the wide receiver position, the Bengals are expected to use most of their six draft picks on defense, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. With the team so far failing to reach a new agreement with defensive end Trey Hendrickson and potentially even including him in a Draft Day trade deal, defensive end could be an obvious target in the first round. Tony Pauline of sportskeeda predicts that if Cincinatti does go pass rusher, assuming Carter and Georgia’s Mykel Williams are already off the table, it could trigger a run of pass rushers instead of allowing them to continue to slide later and later into the first round.
  • While the Steelers are expected to spend one of their two picks in the first three rounds of the draft on a quarterback, Reid claims that they could use the other on a defensive tackle or wide receiver. The team has done plenty of research on both positions, notably checking out defensive tackles Joshua Farmer from Florida State and JJ Pegues from Ole Miss and wide receivers Matthew Golden from Texas and Savion Williams from TCU.
  • Lastly, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley predicts that the most likely first-round scenario sees the Ravens bolstering their defensive line. Kyle Van Noy returns after giving the team 21.5 sacks in the last two years, and Odafe Oweh finally broke out with a 10.0-sack performance in 2024, but David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac — both drafted in the top three rounds of their respective drafts — have yet to make an impact. With Michael Pierce retiring and Travis Jones entering a contract year, defensive tackle could make a lot of sense. The first round is extremely deep at the position with players like Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen, and Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams all projected to be selected somewhere around Baltimore’s 27th overall pick. More likely, though, the Ravens tend to let the draft fall to them and select the best player available regardless of position. With few true holes on the roster, this should give them a bevy of options.

Teams Unlikely To Trade Much In First Round of Draft

April 10th, 2025 at 7:40pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve seen a common refrain bouncing around with several teams in the leadup to the 2025 NFL Draft: (input team here) is a likely candidate to trade down. The reason for this stems from a view that this year’s draft class lacks elite, top-end talent but boasts enough starting-caliber players to last well into the third round. Because of this, teams don’t seem to be valuing early draft picks as much, instead looking to acquire as many picks as possible.

Unfortunately, though, when so many teams are looking to trade down, it makes it harder to do so. That lack of elite, top-end players in the first round is going to make it difficult to find suitors to trade up with. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht was quoted today saying that “he doesn’t foresee…many teams wanting to trade up across the league,” per the PewterReport X account. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport seemed to agree, claiming that “not a lot of teams are trying to move up.”

This doesn’t mean that no teams are going to trade up. A couple teams may fall in love with a certain player enough to chase him up the draft board. More likely, though, in the back half of the first round, teams targeting specific positions are going to want to trade into the first round to take players at those positions, especially if those teams currently reside at the top of the second round. Specifically, positions with the most expensive contracts, like quarterbacks and offensive tackles, could see prospects targeted by trading back into the first round.

This is because first-round picks are granted a fifth-year option that the rest of the draft class doesn’t get in its contracts. Passers and bookend blockers can be expensive to retain on second contracts, so having an extra year to work out contract extensions can be crucial. Similarly, quarterbacks and tackles are often the most likely candidates to be asked to sit and develop in the early years of their contracts. Having that fifth-year option gives teams an extra year to help determine if they want to keep a developing player long-term.

ESPN enlisted the help of multiple beat reporters to give some intel into what they’re hearing about their respective teams, and four of them fell into this group mentioned in the last paragraph. Jordan Reid believed the Browns and Giants could both trade back into the first round for a passer after using their Nos. 2 & 3 picks on Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter. Other teams could trade up for different positions but for the same reason. Matt Miller claimed that the Titans could trade up for a wide receiver at the end of the first round and that the Bears could do the same for a pass rusher.

There are several teams with a limited number of picks — Cardinals (6), Vikings (4), and Commanders (5) — that Reid and Miller identify as teams who could be easy targets to trade up with for the four teams mentioned above. Those teams should have their pick of the litter with so many others wanting to trade back, but with Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington so lacking in picks, teams looking to trade up may get more bang for their buck from that trio.

Browns Host Several QB Prospects; Raiders To Meet With Jaxson Dart

April 8th, 2025 at 10:36pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday was a busy day in Cleveland, where the Browns hosted a number of quarterback prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. According to a few different sources, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Louisville’s Tyler Shough all were on site for visits in Cleveland today.

Don’t be mistaken, despite recent buzz for Dart and Milroe as potential first-rounders, neither player is likely being considered a target at No. 2 overall. More likely, the Browns are exploring the possibility of utilizing their current first-round pick on one of either Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or Colorado athlete Travis Hunter then either taking a quarterback at the top of the second round or trading back into the first round for one.

Dart seems like the least likely to land in Cleveland. In order to draft Dart, it’s starting to look like the Browns would need to trade well into the first round. Dart has been noted as a player under consideration as the Saints (No. 9 overall pick) explore their options for a quarterback of the future. If Dart gets passed over in favor of a sliding Shedeur Sanders or some other prospect, the Steelers could move on the Ole Miss product to take over after Aaron Rodgers (or if Rodgers never signs). After visiting with the Browns today, Dart will visit next with the Raiders, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’s also spent “considerable time” with the Giants and Rams.

If Dart does go to New Orleans or some other team early, the Steelers have also been linked to Milroe. Pittsburgh really likes Milroe due to his elite athleticism. The Alabama product has plenty of shortcomings as a quarterback prospect, but many believe that, if they can coach up some of those areas of concern, his athleticism will be too big of an asset to pass up. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Milroe had private workouts with both Cleveland and New Orleans that were described as “impressive.” Today’s top-30 visit with the Browns was reported by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Cabot also reported Shough’s participation.

Shough has not really been the subject of many rumblings about the first round, but as a quarterback, he may just sneak in. Should Cam Ward, Sanders, Dart, and Milroe all come off the board after Pittsburgh is done selecting at No. 21 overall, the Browns may find it safe to trade up a pick or two into the first round to take Shough.

While it would be a safe bet that Shough could fall to them at the top of the second round, moving up slightly likely wouldn’t cost Cleveland too much draft capital. Also, trading into the first round for any of the above prospects would provide Cleveland the luxury of a fifth-year option, giving them more time to develop whatever young passer they may acquire.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/25

April 8th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Wright didn’t last long as a free agent. He signs with the Bears after being released by Minnesota yesterday.

Franklin had nine starts in his first four years of his career with the Panthers, but after being relegated to the practice squad in 2024, Franklin didn’t appear until the eighth game of the season and played primarily on special teams, only seeing four defensive snaps on the year. He’ll now bring his secondary and special teams experience to Denver.

Jalon Walker To Visit Browns

April 8th, 2025 at 2:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Cam Ward essentially viewed as a lock to be selected first overall by the Titans, the Browns are a team worth watching closely as the countdown to the draft continues. A short list of prospects in range for the second overall pick is well known, but Cleveland is looking at other options as well.

Jalon Walker is set to visit the Browns today, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Georgia product is among the top defensive prospects in the 2025 class, regardless of if he is categorized as a middle linebacker or an edge rusher. He has recently lined up a top-30 visit with the Cardinals, and other such meetings will no doubt continue over the coming days.

While Walker is widely seen as a top-10 talent, it would come as a surprise if he were to hear his name called second overall. Cleveland has a quarterback vacancy, something which leaves the door open to taking Shedeur Sanders at that spot. Both of Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are set to be available (provided the Titans do not trade out of the No. 1 slot or make a surprising move), though, and they are considered the top two overall prospects in the class. Turning down the chance to add either of them – for a reason other than adding a signal-caller – would certainly raise several eyebrows.

Cleveland has been linked to Carter, although more recently reports have pointed in a different direction. Hunter is currently perceived as the favorite to go second overall, and the Browns have done plenty of work on the Heisman winner. Carter would give the team a strong edge rush tandem opposite Myles Garrett, while Hunter would be in position to make an impact on offense (if used as a receiver) or defense (if his career began with work as a cornerback).

Walker spent each of his three seasons with the Bulldogs, showing considerable potential as a pass rusher along the way. In 2024, he remained disruptive with 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. The 6-1, 243-pounder also exceled while lining up at the second level of the team’s defense, however. Walker won the Dick Butkus Award as the country’s top linebacker in addition to receiving third-team All-American honors.

As a result, he should not need to wait long to hear his name called on the draft’s opening night. The Browns would represent a more logical suitor if they were to trade down, but they will nevertheless have additional information on Walker in the near future.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/25

April 7th, 2025 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Browns Conduct Second Abdul Carter Meeting; DE To Wrap Visits With Giants, Pats

April 7th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 7: Carter had breakfast with Daboll yesterday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Carter’s Giants visit will take place on Thursday, he adds. With momentum building for Hunter to be taken second overall by the Browns, New York and New England remain teams to watch closely on this front.

MARCH 28: Abdul Carter will not go through an extensive pre-draft tour. The Penn State prospect expects to be drafted in the top four, and he will cut off access beyond those teams.

Already meeting with the Browns, the standout edge rusher circled back with the team holding the No. 2 overall pick by dining with team brass Thursday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. This meeting included owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry. The Browns have been closely linked to Carter at No. 2 overall.

[RELATED: Browns, Titans To Work Out Shedeur Sanders]

Holding the Nos. 3 and 4 picks, the Giants and Patriots also made the cut for Carter meetings, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. The Titans already met with Carter, and unless another team convinces him a meeting is worthwhile, no more are on tap for one of this year’s premier prospects.

The Giants made a move that could impact their No. 3 choice, having signed Russell Wilson shortly after their Jameis Winston deal. Wilson gives the team a starter-caliber passer, albeit one who has declined in recent years, who could give Joe Schoen and Co. cover if they are not sold on Shedeur Sanders — or if the Browns are and select the Colorado prospect second overall. The Giants have been connected to eyeing a QB choice beyond No. 3 overall, and although that would be a risk given Schoen and Brian Daboll‘s tenuous job statuses, Wilson could allow for a best-player-available pick.

Sanders going in the top three would represent excellent news for the Patriots, who would then presumably — assuming all this Titans-Cam Ward smoke produces a pick at No. 1 — have Carter or Travis Hunter still on the board at No. 4. Either would slot in as an instant starter for a team attempting to recover from its worst two-year stretch in decades.

If the Titans are becoming Ward-committed, the Browns become the team that must decide if Sanders is worthy of such a lofty draft investment. The second-generation NFL prospect has seen a gap form between he and Ward, and while a potential fall out of the first round is not viewed a realistic, Carter is viewed as a safer bet. Browns brass already met with Carter this month, doing so as they hosted Ward, Sanders and Hunter on “30” visits. Carter-to-Cleveland as a low-cost Myles Garrett complement has since gained steam.

Carter is coming off a dominant college season, having led Division I-FBS with 24 tackles for loss. Helping Penn State to the CFP semifinals, Carter posted 12 sacks and four pass deflections as well. Carter passed on Combine workouts, not being the only top prospect to do so, after a foot injury (a stress reaction) became known. Carter did not need surgery, but he is passing on working out at the Nittany Lions’ pro day. Friday. The Browns have college scouting director Max Paulus on-hand anyway.

Of the three teams in the Carter mix, the Giants would seem to need him least. While the Browns would benefit from a Garrett sidekick and Patriots from a long-term edge anchor, the Giants traded for Brian Burns two years after drafting Kayvon Thibodeaux at No. 5. This organization has a history of strengthening this position when it already appeared fortified — drafting Jason Pierre-Paul in Round 1 despite rostering Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka — but Hunter could be a higher priority if a need tiebreaker emerged. That said, the Giants viewing a gap between Carter and Hunter would make for a fascinating decision should both be on the board.

2025 NFL Draft Visits: Schwesinger, Cowboys, Nolen, Ezeiruaku, Burden, Turner, Bond, Steelers, Emmanwori

April 6th, 2025 at 10:14pm CST by Ely Allen

This isn’t exactly a visit in the sense of top-30 visits, like most of the rest of bullets that follow this will be, but UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger held a private pro day earlier this week in Los Angeles and had 30 teams in attendance, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

While, obviously, not a comprehensive list, Schefter specifically mentions the Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Chargers, and Broncos, and notes that the linebackers coaches from Dallas, New York, and New Orleans all met privately with Schwesinger.

Schwesinger is not currently the top-ranked linebacker prospect in most analysts’ eyes, but he often slides in as the second-best off-ball linebacker in the class behind Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell — third if you count Georgia defender Jalon Walker, who has the ability to play every linebacker spot at the next level. Some thought Schwesinger may sneak into the back end of the first round at the end of the month, but more likely is that he hears his name on Day 2. Per Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, it would be surprising to see him fall past the first half of the second round.

Here are some more prospect-NFL team connections we’ve seen recent reports on:

  • The Cowboys have certainly been very busy in the runup to the 2025 NFL Draft. On Friday, the team held their invite-only “Dallas Day,” hosting draft prospects without the visits counting towards their top-30 visits. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton met with the team at “Dallas Day.” The well-balanced rusher continues to skyrocket up draft boards, is likely to join Ashton Jeanty in the first round, and has several other visits lined up.
  • Jeanty was also in attendance on Friday, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. We had relayed that Jeanty would be taking a top-30 visit with the Cowboys, but it’s unclear whether this is what was meant in that original report. Also in attendance for “Dallas Day” were Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, TCU wide receivers Savion Williams and Jack Bech, Texas quarterback and offensive lineman Quinn Ewers and Cameron Williams, and Miami tight end and running back Elijah Arroyo and Damien Martinez.
  • Also in attendance at “Dallas Day” was Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Nolen will follow up his Dallas visit with a visit with the Panthers on Monday and a visit with the Bengals some other time this week.
  • Joining Nolen in Carolina on Monday will be Boston College pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, per Joe Person of The Athletic. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has been a hot topic with multiple scouts of late, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He’s currently viewed as an early-Day 2 prospect, and his stock continues to rise.
  • Speaking of another “Dallas Day” athlete, Wilson of KPRC 2 provided an updated list of teams that Turner, from Texas A&M, is set to visit with. We already noted his recent visit in New Orleans, but Wilson tells us that Turner has also visited the Texans and plans to visit the Ravens, Rams, Eagles, Dolphins, Colts, Buccaneers, and Cardinals.
  • According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Broncos hosted Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden for a top-30 visit last week. The talented wideout fell off in 2024 after an incredible sophomore campaign with the Tigers, but his high ceiling makes him a borderline first-round prospect. Denver would love to bring in another talented weapon for young quarterback Bo Nix.
  • We already reported recent visits for Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond in Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, and Los Angeles, but we now have a couple sources adding some new locations for the Longhorn. Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Bond had dinner with the Bills before a private workout Friday and a top-30 visit as well as visits with the Browns and Packers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that Bond has visits scheduled with the Chiefs and Titans, as well.
  • Brooke Pryor of ESPN tells us that the Steelers hosted a full house on Thursday. Prospects on hand last week included Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
  • Lastly, Pryor adds that Pittsburgh was one of the recent teams to host South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The pre-draft standout had reportedly lined up visits with Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Miami already. The Steelers’ interest in the Gamecock is no surprise as he’s trending towards being a Day 1 selection at this point.

Michigan DT Mason Graham Adds Cleveland, Vegas Visits

April 6th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

The draft’s top-ranked defensive tackle by several analysts continues to make the rounds with the teams in the top 10 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft. Michigan’s Mason Graham is certainly a likely candidate to come off the board early; the big question is just where exactly he’ll go. After taking visits with the holders of the Nos. 4 & 9 picks, Graham has added Cleveland and Las Vegas to his planned visits, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Cleveland visit, which is taking place tomorrow, is likely just the Browns doing their due diligence. The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick, and their choices have seemingly been needled down to Abdul Carter out of Penn State or Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders out of Colorado.

Miami’s Cam Ward is favored to come off the board at No. 1 overall to the Titans, leaving Carter, Hunter, and Sanders as possibilities for the Browns. With quarterback being viewed as a crucial need in Cleveland, Sanders has long been viewed as a strong possibility. Hunter has recently taken the odds as the betting favorite to land in Cleveland as a complimentary, impact weapon across from Jerry Jeudy on offense as a wide receiver.

The team just signed former Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to a record extension, but their defense did not house a strong pass rusher besides him in 2024. Currently Isaiah McGuire (2.5 sacks in 2024), Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2.0), and Alex Wright (1.0) are set to lineup across from Garrett, so adding Carter would be huge.

The Browns also lost starting defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to the Cardinals this offseason, so Graham could fit in as a new impact interior defender next to Shelby Harris. With Carter, Hunter, and Sanders all showing greater impact potential, though, it’s hard to see Graham heading to Ohio. If the Browns make a surprise decision to trade out of the No. 2 spot, though, Graham becomes an extremely viable option.

The Raiders, holders of the No. 6 overall draft pick, seem like a much more realistic possibility for Graham. Their visit will take place on Tuesday. Las Vegas saw an impressive 34 games missed from its expected top defensive line in 2024, and even if the line were fully healthy and it had a weak spot, it would be the second defensive tackle role. Graham would fit in beautifully next to Christian Wilkins between Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce.

The only thing that could suggest Graham doesn’t end up in Las Vegas is the fact that the Raiders have several other holes to address. Namely, running back, wide receiver, and secondary have been noted as areas that could use improvement.

Browns Seen As Favorite To Draft Travis Hunter At No. 2?

April 5th, 2025 at 10:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Provided the Titans select Cam Ward first overall, the Browns will have their choice of the consensus top two prospects in the 2025 draft class. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter have each received plenty of attention from teams at the top of the board, and it would come as no surprise if one wound up being selected by Cleveland second overall.

A report from last week stated Carter was in the lead with respect to which way the Browns were leaning. Cleveland has done extensive work on him, of course, but more recently signs have emerged that teams do not feel Carter will be the eventual pick at the No. 2 slot. If that proves to be true, Hunter looms as a logical option.

On that point, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports there is a “growing belief” around the NFL that the Heisman winner is the Browns’ top choice at this point (subscription required). Howe adds Cleveland’s evaluations of Hunter have been strong throughout the pre-draft process. Taking that route would still leave the Browns in need of a quarterback addition, something of note given the team’s homework including Ward (who is seen as out of reach) as well as Shedeur Sanders.

The latter would give Cleveland a potential long-term answer under center, something needed given the extent to which the Deshaun Watson acquisition has not paid off. Questions about Sanders’ NFL ceiling have led to a wide range regarding his draft stock, though, a stark contrast to the cases of both Carter and Hunter. Both of those prospects are seen as locks for the top five, although Hunter’s transition to the NFL will require a decision regarding his position. Cleveland has been linked to using the Fred Biletnikoff winner as a receiver, something which appears to be in line with the current view of other teams as well.

Hunter had previously been seen more as a corner, something which came as little surprise given his success on the defensive side of the ball (culminating in his Chuck Bednarik award win in 2024) and the comparative scarcity of true No. 1 cover men in the NFL. In any case, where Hunter lands will be key in determining his workload early in his career. The Giants (set to draft third overall) and Patriots (fourth) represent suitable and expected destinations in the event the Browns go in another direction.

During Colorado’s Friday pro day, the Browns and Giants had large groups on hand. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes 14 members of New York’s organization were present; in Cleveland’s case, 11 people – including general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski – were in attendance. Plenty of time remains for opinions to be changed in either camp, but Hunter will no doubt remain a key target for both teams leading up to the first round.

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