What I learned about Browns’ 2025 NFL Draft plans during my pro day tour

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Here is some of what I saw, heard and learned from NFL scouts and executives during my tour of select pro day workouts in recent weeks.

The NFL Draft begins April 24. The Cleveland Browns have four picks on the first two days, at Nos. 2, 33, 67 and 94.

Private workouts kept Browns busy

The Browns concluded their tour of quarterbacks and top prospects last weekend. Though the visits were all slightly different, the team held private workouts with quarterbacks Cam Ward of Miami, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Tyler Shough of Louisville and Jalen Milroe of Alabama.

Those visits included team ownership and key football staffers having dinner with each player and, in most cases, the prospect’s family. The team also had dinner and meetings with Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, the latter with Sanders and his family also in attendance.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t attend the dinner with Carter because he was in Mississippi for Dart’s pro day, but he and Carter are from Philadelphia and talked during Carter’s early March visit to Cleveland. Carter, Hunter and Sanders took their formal pre-draft visits to Cleveland on the same day.

At last week’s NFL annual league meeting, Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry talked about the quarterbacks — and Hunter — on the record. Not surprisingly, they gave praise without offering many clues about the team’s true feelings or intentions. The Browns prefer private workouts with quarterbacks over attending pro days because they feel it’s less scripted and can be shaped more to what the team’s decision-makers want to see from the player in person.

Though no single workout or meeting is likely to affect the team’s final decision, the Browns — publicly and privately — have said they went into late March with no final draft determinations made. I believe that’s true, and I believe with the assumption that Ward is going No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans, the Browns are using their final round of draft meetings to decide whether they’ll use pick No. 2 on Carter or Hunter.

Travis Hunter, who ran routes in front of NFL personnel at Colorado’s pro day, is viewed by many as the most talented prospect in the draft. (Michael Ciaglo / Imagn Images)

Browns could wait until Day 2 to draft a QB

So, where do the Browns get their quarterback? Probably at No. 33, the first pick of the second round. But there’s a chance they might trade back into the first round to ensure they get their guy and potentially get the extra year of team control via the fifth-year option that’s only available for opening-round selections.

The Browns won’t share how they prioritize or evaluate the quarterback prospects, but their meetings indicate there’s a short list of real options. After the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, potential (but not necessarily likely) quarterback landing spots include the Seattle Seahawks at No. 18, the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21 and the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26.

If the Browns — or New York Giants, who hold picks No. 3 and 34 — want to trade back into the first round to take Sanders or Dart, they’d likely be trying to get in front of one of those teams. The Giants could trade into one of the final spots of the first round to get ahead of Cleveland’s second-round pick.

One high-ranking AFC scout said there’s “real chatter” that Dart could go ahead of Sanders, but executives used the terms “unpredictable” and “all over the place” in describing the quarterback forecast for April 24-25. Milroe got invited to attend the draft, which was surprising because multiple scouts view him as more of a late second- or even third-round pick.

“This year, even now just two weeks out, I think everybody has a different opinion of these guys,” the AFC scout said. “Four (quarterbacks) could go in the first round, or the Browns could even pick a lineman in the second round and wait longer on a quarterback. There are a bunch of different ways it can go depending on how teams really feel about these quarterbacks.”

Titans appear sold on Cam Ward

After one especially impressive throw during Ward’s pro day March 24, he pointed to Titans team president Chad Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi on the nearby sideline. After the workout, Ward told reporters he’d set out to “solidify” his status as the top pick with the Titans.

It probably wasn’t just that day, and it certainly wasn’t with one throw. But Ward, per league sources who have interviewed and tracked him as part of the pre-draft process, has impressed with his maturity and steady improvement over five college seasons, leaving interested teams with the belief that he’ll continue to ascend.

The Titans showed up with all their key personnel staffers and offensive coaches to Ward’s pro day, knowing he would also hold a private workout for them later — and for other teams, too. The Browns contingent met with Ward and conducted their private workout two days after his pro day.

When the Titans canceled their private workouts with Hunter and Sanders, that sort of unofficially acknowledged that Tennessee is set with Ward at No. 1. Multiple league sources believe the Browns and Giants had been working under that assumption for weeks.

Few know for sure whether the Titans were willing to entertain offers for the No. 1 pick — or whether the asking price was too high for a trade to become realistic. The Titans seemed to put out feelers that they’d be open to discussions, but they also haven’t hidden their interest in Ward or their belief that he’s the kind of culture-changer the folks in charge think the organization needs.

Uncertainty in late first, early second round

The unpredictability in the range of picks 20-40 in this draft includes more than just the quarterbacks. Through various conversations, Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell kept coming up — not because he’s a likely Browns target, but because Campbell’s status plays a big part in how the final 10 or so picks of the first round will play out.

Campbell is recovering from shoulder surgery. Some teams wouldn’t prioritize an off-ball linebacker in the first round, even if that player was healthy and highly regarded, and Campbell is expected to rank as a top-15-type talent for most teams.

In multiple conversations, scouts and executives also said they’re interested to see whether teams prioritize offensive or defensive tackle late in the first round or are willing to take guards or linebackers. The prevailing opinion is that this draft is especially deep in the defensive line and running back groups.

“With defensive linemen, it’s always a little bit of, ‘What’s your flavor, what body type and style of player are you looking for?’” one executive said. “But this year, with so many of them, it’s really about how many teams truly love one and (would) take him at the end of the first round, or are willing to wait because of the depth of the group. That’s what everybody’s waiting to see.”

Ohio State prospects galore

Ohio State’s pro day March 26 was attended by more than 140 NFL coaches, scouts and executives. The national champion Buckeyes have as many as 15 potential draftees, including a large group of potential first- and second-round picks that includes defensive linemen JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Tyleik Williams; running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins; offensive linemen Josh Simmons and Donovan Jackson; and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.

One longtime scout told The Athletic that he views Egbuka and Henderson as “really good second-round picks … would be surprised but not totally shocked if they went in the first.” He said Jackson, who played guard and tackle, is a “borderline” first-round pick depending on how teams view his best position. Simmons is recovering from a knee injury that ended his season in October and caused Jackson to move from guard to left tackle.

Opinions seem to vary on Simmons, and his injury situation further complicates his status. Simmons participated in a short workout at Ohio State’s pro day.

Another scout said neither Henderson nor Judkins would go in the first round, “but they’re both going in the second, and they’re both going to be good right away.”

How high will Will Howard go?

After his pro day workout, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard said he had a scheduled visit to Las Vegas with the Raiders, where Chip Kelly is the offensive coordinator after serving in that same role for Ohio State and working with Howard last season. Howard also said he still had other visits and private workouts lined up, but he didn’t share details.

From the scouts and personnel people I spoke with, Howard is an interesting player who’s impressed in interviews and with his football acumen. But there are concerns about his arm strength and consistency, and the feeling is that Howard is in the third tier of quarterbacks in this class. He might go in the third round, but he also might have to wait until Day 3 to hear his name called.

Some buzz around Kurtis Rourke’s potential

In surveying NFL folks about the rest of the quarterback class, I found some fans of Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke. I came across a few fans of Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard as an athletic developmental prospect. I also encountered some evaluators who believe Syracuse’s Kyle McCord is trending upward and has starter potential.

But Rourke is a name I kept hearing, specifically that there was the belief that a strong postseason showing in the all-star game and workout circuit would have given him a chance to play his way into the third or fourth round had he been able to participate. Rourke played through a torn right ACL in helping Indiana to an 11-win season and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

The injury occurred in August but wasn’t discovered until after the season. Rourke suffered the same injury in 2022 when he played at Ohio University, so his history plus the likelihood that he’d miss all of rookie training camp — and potentially his entire rookie season — means Rourke won’t be picked until the draft’s final day.

No Abdul Carter workout, Travis Hunter showcases route-running skills

Carter did not participate in Penn State’s pro day as he’s still recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered Dec. 31 (but played through) in the College Football Playoff and a hamstring strain he suffered during pre-draft training. Hunter ran routes and caught passes from Sanders at Colorado’s pro day last week but did not participate in any other testing.

According to multiple league sources, as long as Carter’s combine medical recheck produces no red flags, the Browns are not concerned about any further testing or workouts from him or Hunter. The study of both players has been extensive, and the team has done enough research to know just about everything it needs to with decision time looming.

(Top photo of Abdul Carter: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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