The Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns pulled off a blockbuster trade at the 2025 NFL Draft, which reshaped the top of the draft order and shifted the landing spot for former Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. The top non-quarterback in the class flew off the board at No. 2 overall, as expected. But instead of taking his talents to Cleveland, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner hoisted a Jaguars jersey when he took the stage and met NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Browns shipped the No. 2, No. 104 and No. 200 picks to the Jaguars in exchange for the No. 5 pick, a second-round selection, a fourth-rounder and Jacksonville’s 2026 first-round pick. The swap instantly became the biggest move at Day 1 of the draft, and it marked a potential turning point for a pair of franchises coming off down years.
On the Cleveland side of the deal, general manager Andrew Berry loaded up on draft capital with the intention to stockpile young talent over the next two offseasons. He used newest picks to select a potential defensive line stalwart in Mason Graham and a pair of dominant college running backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.
“We knew we were due for a little bit of a strategic pivot,” Berry said on CBS Sports’ “With the First Pick” podcast. “That can be in a variety of ways when you’re sitting with the No. 2 pick. Probably the most direct path is you take a young quarterback, hit on him and it’s the most important position in sports. One of the alternative paths is you take a non-quarterback. In this position, potentially the best player in the draft with Travis and someone that the league hasn’t really seen before in terms of a two-way player. And then the third avenue … you’re able to take a very good player but significantly increase the amount of resources that you have to build the team over a multi-year time horizon.”
Berry said that trades of such magnitude generally require ample amounts of trust between organizations and their front offices. The Browns and Jaguars, however, hardly knew each other until this offseason’s owners meetings. Jacksonville overhauled its executive branch this year with a new group of decision makers, including first-time general manager James Gladstone.
When Gladstone and Berry, the two youngest GMs in the NFL, established lines of communication this spring, it did not take long for the trade talks to blossom.
“I think it was roughly two weeks out from the draft that we really had a strong framework for what ultimately ended up being what we were able to execute once Cleveland was officially on the clock,” Gladstone said. “What if we would have waited until the week of the draft to try and initiate that? How much more challenging is that, then, to bring to life? From my vantage point, it’s an entirely different dynamic. The likelihood of that occurring versus initiating that conversation a month ahead of time made a difference, for sure.”
While the discussions started well before the April 24 draft night, it was not until that Thursday that rumblings of a potential trade began to waft through the air. The exact details did not emerge until the trade’s execution.
How did they keep things under wraps for so long? Gladstone joked that his newness to the general manager role played a key role in the secrecy.
“Keeping it quiet, that’s not always the easiest thing to do,” Gladstone said. “I was like, ‘Andrew, I think we’re kind of in luck because nobody really actually has my number.’ It’s not like I can talk to many people because it’s an unknown caller. That luxury doesn’t last much longer.”
Hunter was always the Jaguars’ target at the No. 2 spot. Considering the talent around him on the draft board largely consisted of pass rushers — an area in which Jacksonville is already set — it was all the more logical for Gladstone to swoop in and pick up a legitimate generational talent who could make an impact at skill positions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
By all indications, Jacksonville intends to deploy Hunter at both wide receiver and cornerback. The former No. 1 overall recruit has been adamant throughout his rise to the NFL that he wishes to remain a two-way player and said that he would rather quit football than have to settle for one position over the other. While he opened OTAs with reps in the receiving corps, Hunter quickly picked up practice time in pass defense and even had secondary coach Ron Milus asking for more opportunities to work with him.
“He was somebody we thought could give us an impact on both sides of the ball,” Gladstone said. “And I think we’re seeing that unfold here throughout the course of the offseason program. Really leaning in heavily to the offensive side at this stage, knowing that there’s so much more nuance and learning and refinement that’s required for him there. And his more natural position being that of corner where he can spotlight.
“And if you haven’t seen it yet, today he was able to make his first play on the ball, first opp on the ball, and it was fun to see really the space around him sort of light up as a part of that. He’s doing, in the early going here, a lot of what we had hoped that he would for the team, and that’s bringing new life, bringing new energy and stuff that a lot of other people can start to use as fuel, so to speak.”
Hunter dazzled in his second and final year at Colorado as the Big 12 leader in receptions (96) and receiving touchdowns (15). He racked up 1,258 yards as the primary weapon for standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders. His defensive duties delivered a number of highlight plays, too, including a game-sealing forced fumble in a thrilling comeback win against Baylor. He added four interceptions and 11 pass breakups, plus 36 tackles, too.
“Travis is a really good player,” said Berry. “He’s a really good player, and I would be shocked if he’s not a really good player for a long time in Jacksonville.”
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