Cleveland Browns Land Big Defensive Boost After Trading Down From No. 2

There's a reason the NFL Draft has become a made-for-TV drama series over the years. Anything can happen.

That very much came to fruition on Thursday night, with Cleveland Browns delivering the first set of fireworks in the 2025 NFL Draft when they traded back from the No. 2 overall pick to No. 5 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Trading back once again became a real possibility for the Browns when they came up on the clock several selections later. Ultimately, though, general manager Andrew Berry stayed put and drafted Michigan's star defensive tackle Mason Graham.

At nearly, 300-pounds, Graham comes to the NFL as an absolute force in the trenches. The 21-year-old recorded over 100 tackles in three years as a starter at Michigan, concluding a memorable career with the Wolverines with 45 combined tackles, including seven for a loss and 3.5 sacks.

For more than a month, Cleveland had been linked to Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter, who wound up being Jacksonville's pick after trading up with the Browns. Ultimately, the opportunity to move back, still draft a starting caliber player and accumulate a wealth of draft capital became too good for Berry to pass up.

Following the move down the board, the Browns are well-positioned to still add a number of talented players in the coming days, with two second-rounders now at their disposal. They may even be well positioned to move back up into the first round because Thursday night is over.