The 2024 season has dropped its curtains. And in no time the draft discussions have gained momentum. More than the other college programs, it’s Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes who are dominating the headlines. Why wouldn’t they? After all, they have their powerful trio—Shedeur Sanders, Shilo Sanders, and Travis Hunter—beginning a new chapter.

Going by the hush-hush, the Buffs’ dual threat is going to land with the $5.2 billion NFL giant. And guess who fully approved this projection? The former Cincinnati Bengals legend turned analyst Chad Johnson. Already the NFL franchise landed in choppy waters, thanks to their veteran QB. 

Chad Johnson’s vision for Travis Hunter

Now if you think that Johnson came up commenting on Hunter just randomly, then you are mistaken. The NFL legend had eyes on the Buffs two-way star from the sidelines when his Heisman rankings surged. He predicted what the future holds for Hunter: “They ain’t going to have no choice. We’ve seen stuff like this, but not to this extent. He’s doing something special that’s never been done before.” Yes, the Heisman race is over, and the Buffs phenom did prove Johnson right. So, it’s obvious that the legend dreams big for Hunter and his first stop in the NFL.

For him, the Buffs two-way star might land with the Cleveland Browns. On the Nightcap podcast, co-host Shannon Sharpe said, “Many scouts believe that the Browns will take Travis Hunter No.2 overall and focus on a quarterback later in the draft.”

Now Shedeur’s chances of landing in Cleveland are nil since the Browns are not interested in picking him even if Deion’s son shows interest. That’s where the plot starts to thicken, folks! Sharpe continued, “If Hunter were to go to Cleveland, he would have a Jim Brown-type impact on the franchise.”

In between 1957 and 1965, Jim Brown led the league in rushing yardage every year except 1962. On that note, Johnson pitched in to share his views, “I like it …their identity anyway is their defense, honestly, until you get a quarterback that can change the franchise right around like Jayden Daniels has done like a CJ Stroud has done. But can you imagine Denzel Ward and goddamn Travis Hunter?”

So, according to the NFL legend, passing on a quarterback would only make sense if the Browns selected Hunter. After all, he is viewed as one of the best prospects in college football history. He has shown off elite talent on both sides of the field. Yes, normally it’s the quarterbacks who are in charge of changing the fortune of NFL teams. For instance, look at Jayden Daniels in Washington.

He led them to their first playoff win in ages, and now they’re on track for their first conference championship in over three decades. That’s the kind of impact a franchise quarterback can have. But right now, Cleveland’s quarterback situation is a complete mess.

Cleveland Browns quarterback woes continue

Their quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is expected to miss most of the 2025 season after suffering another Achilles injury that required a second surgery. Now this has been a lingering problem with Watson. Either he is undergoing abuse allegations that led him to miss 11 games in 2022, or it’s him falling prey to injuries. However, there came a final blow for the Browns. Even though Watson has been undergoing rehab, his TikTok video went viral after 62 days of his surgery.

In that video, he is seen dancing with his girlfriend. Surprisingly, he was without any walking boots or protective gear. Now maybe this was the opportunity Cleveland had been waiting for to cut Watson with no losses or dead money. If the program can prove this, they will not have to pay him $46 million for each of the two years remaining. 

So, the Browns might be desperate to land a QB; they might bring in Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, or Quinn Ewers as their 33rd or 67th overall pick. Like Chad Johnson, another legend thinks that counting on Travis Hunter sounds like a good idea. “I think whoever quarterback is at the helm for the Browns, we can do amazing things with a guy like Travis Hunter,” said former Cleveland Browns wideout Josh Cribbs.

Will Hunter shatter the stereotype that quarterbacks are the sole architects of an NFL team’s destiny?