The NBA and the NFL are a bit yin and yang. Contrasting leagues coming together to form the balanced foundation that society rests on! But really, their respective drafts are a microcosm of how different the two are. The NBA drafting process is fairly straightforward. All 5 positions more or less hold equal value. So the draft becomes a linear hierarchy of the best prospects in descending order. The best player goes 1st, the next best goes 2nd, and so on. The NFL Draft, though, isn’t a meritocracy. It’s more nuanced because of certain positions being more valuable. Conventionally, front offices can’t quite justify drafting a skill-position guy over a quarterback when you desperately need the latter. However, 2-way unicorn Travis Hunter resonates with anything but convention. You’ve gotta make an exception for generational blue-chip prospects like him. This creates a conundrum for the QB-needy Cleveland Browns. 

With mere hours left before the Tennessee Titans are on the clock and commish Roger Goodell gets on that podium in Green Bay, a few things have become apparent. The Titans are almost assuredly picking Cam Ward 1st overall to fill their void under center. Then come the Browns. That DeShaun Watson trade and subsequent fully-guaranteed contract has really hamstrung the franchise. Both in terms of cap space and on-field enterprise. So much so that the only way out is hitting on a quarterback on the rookie-scale contract. With Cam Ward off the board, Shedeur Sanders becomes the best available QB in this draft class. However, his tape and general draft grade don’t quite warrant the Browns using the #2 pick on him. It’s unanimously perceived as an overpay. Especially with his Colorado teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter available. So what’s the solution?

It’s a difficult position to be in for the Browns. Draft for team fit, or take the best player in the class? Travis Hunter could accentuate their receiving corps. in tandem with Jerry Jeudy, while also bolstering their secondary on the other side of the football. However, it’s futile if you don’t have a competent signal-caller spearheading the operation. As cliched as it sounds, you only go as far as your quarterback takes you. But there is a way for the Browns brass and HC Kevin Stefanski to have their cake and eat it, too. There’s a rather prevalent school of thought out there that the front office could indulge in some acrobatics to draft both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders. Something that wouldn’t just resuscitate this perennial underachiever on the field, but bring star power off it too.

Over IG, @nflrookiewatch relayed a steaming-hot revelation right off the conveyor belt at the rumor mill to their 65k followers. “There are reportedly ‘serious draft day rumblings’ that the Browns are looking to attempt to secure both Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders in tonight’s first round of the NFL Draft,” they wrote. How, you ask? By trading up of course, into a range in and around where Shedeur Sanders is expected to go. The Browns also hold the 2nd pick of round 2 in the draft (33rd overall). Meaning they wouldn’t really have to part with the king’s ransom to trade into the late-teens or early 20s. Which, according to the oddsmakers, is where Shedeur’s stock is at mere hours prior to the draft.

That aforementioned IG post also shared some intel via an “anonymous NFL executive.” “‘The Browns are essentially the Colorado Buffaloes of the NFL. I think their coaches and front office staff realize that, and see the potential impact this duo could have on their franchise,” read the quote from this unnamed entity. Akin to the Buffs, the Browns have been in incessant purgatory. This franchise really does need a spark. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have proven they can elevate a flailing program and make it both competitive and relevant. Before their arrival in Boulder alongside Deion Sanders, Colorado had won 1 singular game in ‘22. Two years on, they’ve departed after a 9-win season. The proof is in the pudding. Additionally, Shedeur Sanders makes a lot of sense for the Browns systemically as well. There really is a multi-layered rationale behind pursuing this sensational strategy.

Shedeur Sanders to the Cleveland Browns isn’t a mere rumor pulled from thin air

Kevin Stefanski is an offense-oriented head coach who can chef up some eccentric plays and schemes. However, at the crux of his philosophy and system is the need for a more traditional, old-school pocket passer. Shedeur Sanders fits that exact archetype. It’s not a direct comp by any means, nor does it mean he’ll hit those heights. But his play style does have shades of Drew Brees. Shedeur is the most accurate QB in this class, unequivocally. While he can’t really move the chains with his legs out of the backfield, his arm is more than capable. Conceded, it’s not the strongest one going either. But over short and intermediate yardage, he’s surgical. Plus, Shedeur Sanders does have it in his locker to produce magic.

Stuck in arguably the toughest division in the league, the Browns really do need a quarterback. You’re not competing in the AFC North if your QB can’t at least somewhat hang with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. This actually segues into the biggest thorn in the Browns’ side pertaining to Shedeur Sanders. Their divisional nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are actually the team they’d have to leapfrog if they’re making a trade up to go snag Shedeur. There’s been credible reporting that Mike Tomlin “loves” him, and that the Steelers are likely to draft him with the 21st pick. In fact, the Steelers are now -150 to draft Shedeur according to Vegas.

If the Browns want Shedeur Sanders, they’re gonna need to move from 33rd to at least 20th. Again, not an outlandish, impossible scenario. If they want to take on that positional dilemma on the enigmatic Travis Hunter and concoct it with the flash and pageantry of Shedeur Sanders, they do have a realistic path to it. There’s a reason discourse around them getting both Shedeur and Travis is gaining traction. There’s no smoke without fire. With under 7 hours to the draft, the Browns are +400 to draft Shedeur. The second-best odds out of any franchise, which equate to a 20% likelihood of it transpiring. More than enough to keep tabs on the scenario heading into the draft. Will they indeed pull the trigger on this?