Sources: Browns, Giants field trade calls for picks
Written by I Dig Sports
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are fielding trade inquiries for their early picks in the NFL draft, sources told ESPN's Peter Schrager.
Although the Tennessee Titans announced Tuesday that they are not entertaining offers for the first overall pick, sources told Schrager that the Browns, who have the second pick, and the Giants, who pick third, have received trade calls over the past 48 hours -- and that neither team is outwardly rejecting those overtures.
The expectation, sources told Schrager, is that those teams looking to trade up to the No. 2 or No. 3 pick are pursuing Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
All 32 teams in the NFL still have their original first-round pick this year, which has seen a historic lack of trades in the lead-up to the draft. With Thursday's first round just two days away, this is the closest to the start of a draft without any trades involving first-round picks in the common draft era (since 1967), according to ESPN Research.
In what is widely perceived as a weak quarterback draft class, the Browns and Giants -- who both face uncertainty at quarterback -- have been projected to use their first-round picks to address other needs.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted Cleveland to select Hunter at No. 2, New York to take Carter at No. 3 and the Las Vegas Raiders to pick Jeanty at No. 6 in his latest mock draft. ESPN's Jordan Reid made identical predictions for all three in his latest mock draft.
Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, played a combined 1,481 snaps on offense and defense last season at Colorado, nearly 300 more than any other player in the FBS. The current betting favorite to be selected by the Browns with the No. 2 pick, Hunter has said he hopes to continue playing both offense and defense in the NFL.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said last week that he believes Hunter is worth one of the top picks in the draft, comparing him to two-way baseball star Shohei Ohtani. Giants GM Joe Schoen also praised Hunter's unique ability last week and said New York would "not be afraid to play him on both sides of the ball."
Although Cleveland and New York both already boast a strong pass rush, they have been linked to Carter as well after the former Penn State star's breakout 2024 season.