Why did the Cleveland Browns trade back in the 2025 NFL Draft?
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The Cleveland Browns have traded the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cleveland will receive a package of four picks in exchange for the No. 2, according to reports.
Rumors of a trade started to circulate in the hours ahead of the draft, with Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reporting the team "believed to have something cooking at No. 2."
Here's everything to know about the Browns' trade of the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft:
Why did the Cleveland Browns trade back?
After making a pre-draft trade with the Texans for a fifth-round pick this year (and their 2027 fifth-round pick), the Browns had cut their total number of picks from 10 selections to eight.
Trading back allowed Cleveland to recoup some more draft capital further down the board and in future years. If the Browns did not feel moved by any of the top prospects available – particularly at the quarterback position that represents their biggest roster need – trading back was the logical move to set the Browns up for future success in the draft.
Time will tell which player the Browns select with their new pick.
Full terms for Browns-Jaguars trade for No. 2 overall pick
Browns receive:
- Round 1, Pick 5
- Round 2, Pick 36
- Round 4, Pick 126
- 2026 first-round pick
Jaguars receive:
- Round 1, Pick 2
- Round 4, Pick 104
- Round 6, Pick 200
What happened the last time the Browns had the No. 2 pick in the draft?
Cleveland also traded the No. 2 pick the last time they owned it.
In the 2016 NFL Draft, they received the Philadelphia Eagles' first-, third- and fourth-round picks in that year's draft, along with the Eagles' 2017 first-round pick and 2018 second-round pick, in exchange for the No. 2 overall selection and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2017.
Philadelphia used the second pick to select quarterback Carson Wentz, while the Browns used the picks they received to make more trades.
Cleveland ended the 2016 NFL Draft having made more selections (14) than any other team. Those picks included wide receiver Corey Coleman in the first round, defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah in the second and quarterback Cody Kessler in the third, among others. Only one player the Browns drafted that year – linebacker Joe Schobert – made a Pro Bowl.
Schobert left Cleveland in free agency at the conclusion of his rookie contract in 2020.