The Cleveland Browns entered the 2025 NFL Draft with the No. 2 pick in the first round.

Most mock drafts had the team selecting dynamic two-way player Travis Hunter out of Colorado or edge-rusher Abdul Carter from Penn State. Instead, the team made the surprising decision to trade the pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Browns received the No. 5 pick, No. 36, No. 126, and a 2026 first-round selection while the Jaguars received the No. 2 pick, No. 104, and No. 200.

The Browns got a massive haul for sure, and that extra first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft will definitely be a useful asset.

With that No. 5 pick, the team selected talented interior defensive lineman Mason Graham out of Michigan.

Graham was thought of as the best interior defensive lineman in this class. The defender racked up 45 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 2024. Graham earned First-team All-American honors after his impressive campaign.

Pro Football Focus gave Graham an elite 91.1 overall grade and credited the Michigan product with 20 quarterback hurries.

In Cleveland, Graham should immediately start on the defensive line next to offseason addition Maliek Collins, giving the team a formidable duo on the defensive interior.

The Browns already have one of the best edge-rushers in the league in Myles Garrett, and now adding a player like Graham on the interior can make this defensive front deadly.

It’s hard to give up on an elite talent like Hunter, though. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in 2024 and excelled as both a cornerback and wide receiver. The Browns need both of those positions, so it would have made sense to add the elite two-way athlete.

However, it was obviously impossible for the team to turn down the massive haul the Jaguars offered. Instead of Hunter, the Browns get one of the best defenders in the draft and a future first-rounder. It’s hard to argue that the Browns didn’t come away with a solid deal here.