Unlike its NBA counterpart, the NFL Draft isn’t necessarily a meritocracy. Roger Goodell doesn’t call out the names in exact descending order of talent. It’s more about positional value. Quarterbacks, being the key to the entire operation, naturally get a bump even if, say, a tight end is perceived to be the better player. Cam Ward, the near-unanimous QB1 in this draft class, is a beneficiary of this and his stock has swelled. The discourse within draftniks, analysts and those in the know points to him going #1 overall. Not a foregone conclusion, but the signs are pretty strong. One person reckons he will, but it perhaps wouldn’t be to the Tennessee Titans- the current holders of the pick. A very rational hypothetical about a trade to move to the top of the queue has been laid forth.
The draft is an exercise of supply vs demand. This year’s QB class is relatively weak, certainly in comparison to 2024, which saw 6 quarterbacks picked in the lottery. There’s not enough high-quality supply this time around to meet the number of teams that are in need of a signal caller. The Titans are sitting comfy though, knowing they’ve got Cam Ward to themselves. That franchise needs a messiah to lift them out of purgatory. The Will Levis experiment sure hasn’t worked so far. That means you’d really have to send a very enticing package to woo them into trading down from #1. Yahoo Sports’ senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson thinks one team could do so. Despite his belief they’d have to part with a gauntlet of picks in exchange to coerce the Titans. In fact, he’s advocating for the trade- such is the desperation of said franchise.
If Levis hasn’t paid dividends for the Titans, Deshaun Watson definitely hasn’t for the Cleveland Browns either. The franchise is in cap hell as a result of Watson not reciprocating the value of his massive contract. So much so that only a QB on a rookie-scale contract can get them out of this mess. Now that trade for Watson with Washington didn’t work out, but Robinson thinks it shouldn’t deter the Browns’ brass for making one to go from #2 overall to #1. He reckons it’s very much on the board this switch between the top two picks happens over Inside Coverage. Albeit acknowledging how much the Titans also need a QB and appear to like Cam Ward, Robinson said this trade will cost a “major ransom.”
“If you’re going to move from #2 to #1 because you want Cam Ward and the Titans say, ‘It’s gonna cost you the no.2 pick and two future first-rounder. Or the no.2 pick, a future first-rounder and a package of other picks that we equate to being first round value’…[then] the [Browns’] owner is going to have to go, ‘Yeah, okay. We got to do it. We’re is this hole.’” said Charles Robinson. The “hole” he was referring to was indeed the cap hit induced by DeShaun Watson. “You do it, I think. If that’s your guy, and you got to dig yourself out. There’s really no other options there. That’s ultimately what you got to pay,” he added. While Ward’s closest contemporary Shedeur Sanders is an option, the insinuation here is that there’s a bit of a drop-off.
A couple of factors play into why the Browns may pull the trigger. They’re in the AFC North for starters, arguably the toughest division in the sport right now. A division that’s already got to blue-chip QBs in Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. In order to be competitive, a top-end QB of their own seems requisite for the Browns. But does parting with the kind of package Robinson floated to get Cam Ward represent good value? You can make a fair argument it doesn’t. This could lend into the Browns taking a different route altogether. Forego drafting a QB in the top 2 and pick one of Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter instead. Then, come back around to addressing that issue later. HC Kevin Stefanski’s latest trip down south does suggest this is something the franchise is weighing up.
Kevin Stefanski in attendance at Jaxson Dart’s Pro Day
Every draft cycle, there’s that one quarterback who creeps up in mocks and big boards seemingly out of nowhere. Last year it was Bo Nix, who ended college grading around Day 2 and ended up going 12th overall. This time around, that seems to be Jaxson Dart. A good day out at the Combine in Indy, coupled with quality being in short supply for the position group, has propelled Dart’s stock. He’s now projecting as a very good alternative to Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.
NFL insider Albert Breer reported “One of the more interesting attendees to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart’s Pro Day today in Oxford: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. So while owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry were at Penn State getting to know Abdul Carter, Stefanski got some QB recon work done.” This has fanned the flames of the aforementioned scenario. The Browns pairing Carter with Garrett on the defensive line to counteract and give perpetual nightmares to opposition QBs does sound intriguing.
Jaxson Dart isn’t the perfect QB by any means. There are holes in his repertoire. Certainly more so than Cam Ward’s. However, he does offer an excellent Plan B in case that trade with the Titans either fails to materialize or is simply deemed too expensive. There are a lot of moving parts at play here. The decision for the Browns isn’t a linear, obvious one. As for Cam, he can mostly rest on his laurels, knowing there’s no shortage of suitors. The oddsmakers currently have him down as a massive favorite to get picked #1. Whom to, we shall see.
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