NFL insider shares "growing belief" Travis Hunter will be the No. 2 pick by Browns

It appears the Cleveland Browns might be thinking double duty with pick No. 2, and Travis Hunter’s name appears to have shot to the top of the board.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Howe, there's a “growing belief” among high-ranking execs and coaches that the Browns are eyeing Hunter as their potential second overall pick. If this buzz turns into reality, Cleveland could land Hunter, who is regarded as a generational talent on both sides of the ball.

Hunter started the 2024 season with a bang: 7 catches, 132 yards, and 3 TDs in Colorado’s win over North Dakota State. A week later, he followed up with 10 catches for 110 yards against Nebraska, even though some critics knocked his hustle on the Huskers’ first score.

But he silenced that noise on September 21. Against Baylor, Hunter forced a game-winning fumble at the goal line in a wild 38–31 OT victory. That moment helped him showcase his ability as a playmaker built for clutch time.

By the end of the college football season, he logged nearly 1,400 scrimmage snaps (382 more than anyone else in the nation). Hunter walked away with the Heisman Trophy, becoming Colorado’s first winner since 1994 and only the second defensive player to win it since Charles Woodson (1997). He also bagged the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Fred Biletnikoff Award, the first to ever do both.

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Veteran WR Steve Smith Sr. urges Travis Hunter to pick a side in the NFL

Travis Hunter might be a two-way phenom who is expected to be a high pick in the NFL draft. But NFL vet Steve Smith Sr. isn’t buying the two-for-one hype. Instead, he’s sending a clear message: pick a lane.

“They don’t pay masters of none, they pay craftsmen,” Smith said in an April 4 Instagram quote at Colorado's pro day (via Underdog Fantasy), throwing shade at the idea of Hunter playing both wide receiver and cornerback in the league.

The quote riffs on the classic “jack of all trades” warning – basically, NFL success demands elite focus, not versatility for versatility’s sake.

Travis Hunter recently stated (via ESPN) that his position of cornerback or wide receiver will depend on which team picks him. It will be interesting to see which team decides to draft the 21-year-old, with the event scheduled to be held on April 24–26, 2025 in Wisconsin.