James Gladstone became the NFL’s youngest general manager this offseason when the Jacksonville Jaguars hired him. He wasted little time making his presence to the rest of the league known by trading for the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Cleveland Browns traded the No. 2 pick to the Jaguars, originally selected to pick fifth, along with a handful of other picks, including Jacksonville’s first-round selection in 2026. A second-round pick (No. 36) and a fourth-round pick (No. 126) is also going to Cleveland. The Jags got a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.
Widely expected to stick and pick reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter from Colorado after the Tennessee Titans took quarterback Cam Ward first overall, Browns general manager Andrew Berry instead decided to move back with the Jags. Jacksonville slid into the second spot and turned in a draft card with Hunter’s name on it. The Browns selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5.
Much of the runup to the 2025 NFL draft lacked hype and drama outside of the typical speculation. But hours before the draft, rumors started swirling that the Jaguars were trying to move up and that the Browns were listening to calls about moving back.
Hunter told reporters he was looking at houses in Jacksonville the night before the draft and that he’d had productive conversations with both offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile throughout the draft process, per the Florida Times-Union.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence now has a target in the receiver-cornerback combo of Hunter, who’s expected to play on both sides of the ball in the NFL as he did at Colorado. Jacksonville also has a first-year head coach in Liam Coen. And Gladstone, 34, is already making moves.
‘We had a good idea the last couple weeks that this was going to come to fruition,’ said Gladstone, who added that the deal had been in place since the beginning of April.
Cleveland now has a stockpile of picks in this year’s draft. The Browns entered with the 33rd overall pick, the first selection in the second round, and two third-round picks. Earlier Thursday, they traded two of their four sixth-rounders and a seventh-rounder to the Houston Texans for a pair of picks in the fifth round. The team has been linked to quarterbacks available in the draft.
Cleveland also traded the second overall pick the last time they held it, in 2016. The Philadelphia Eagles exchanged five selections (No. 8 overall pick, a third- and fourth-round selection, 2017 first-round pick and a second-round pick in 2018) for the right to choose quarterback Carson Wentz after the Los Angeles Rams drafted Jared Goff. Wide receiver Corey Coleman, safety Jabrill Peppers, offensive tackle Shon Coleman and quarterback Cody Kessler were among the players the Browns took.
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