The Cleveland Browns are going to be quite busy next week at the NFL draft.

Holding the No. 2 pick, and with the Tennessee Titans all but certain to take Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first pick of the draft, the Browns know exactly who their potential targets are in the first round.

While Cleveland has plenty of holes to fill in its roster, their weakness at quarterback is notable. Deshaun Watson is expected to be out once again for the 2025 season due to injury, and newly signed Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are both stop-gaps at best.

Given their need, is it possible the Browns would take a quarterback at No. 2? ESPN insider Adam Schefter says it’s unlikely, but believes that Cleveland will pick up a signal caller on day two of the draft.

"The Browns here—like the Steelers, like the Saints, like these intriguing storylines—are still going to be in the quarterback market next week. They're going to take a QB high, I don't expect it to be at No. 2, but I think they are more inclined to do it on the second day if they don’t trade up back into the first round.”

Schefter noted that the Browns have the very first pick of the second round, which is especially valuable given Cleveland can spend the entirety of Thursday night shopping it around should they choose. While the Browns could trade the pick if the right offer came through, Schefter sees it as the perfect spot to pick up one of the quarterbacks considered to be in the second tier of this year’s class.

“There’s a real possibility that come Friday night, we’re sitting there, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock, and all of a sudden, either Tyler Shough or Jaxson Dart is sitting there, Jalen Milroe is sitting there, and Cleveland gets to take the quarterback that it really likes to kick off festivities on Friday night, if they don’t get another offer from another team about moving up to that top spot.”

Schefter also acknowledged that although there was some buzz about Kirk Cousins possibly jumping to the Browns, it didn’t make sense for Cleveland to take on his massive contract when the franchise already had so much money tied up in Watson’s contract.

Flacco and Pickett serve as quality bargain quarterbacks, but it would make a lot of sense for them to lock in a third option on a rookie deal next Friday night.

As for their first pick of the 2025 draft, all eyes are currently on the Browns to pick up two-way phenom Travis Hunter, though Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter could also hear his name called.

More NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Adam Schefter Breaks Down Browns’ Potential Plan for Drafting a Quarterback.

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