Browns Digest

Jon Gruden Sends Head-Turning Message About Browns-Jaguars Blockbuster Trade

The Cleveland Browns took the NFL world by surprise on Thursday night, but maybe it was not as bad a deal as many think.

Anthony Moeglin

Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 18, 2021; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Browns were on the clock with the second overall pick and an opportunity to select potential superstar Travis Hunter. Instead of selecting Hunter, the same general manager who compared Hunter to Shohei Ohtani, struck a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move back to pick number five. 

On the surface, the trade shocked pretty much everyone watching the draft. So many, me included, had become infatuated with Hunter and dreamed of him scoring a touchdown and then intercepting a pass on the next possession.

Instead, Cleveland acquired the No. 5 pick, the 36th overall pick and Jacksonville’s first-round pick in next year’s draft. Many scratched their heads, but not former NFL Coach turned Barstool Personality Jon Gruden. 

Many people are totally turned off by the trade, and that is understandable. I think the truth falls in between total despair and a great move. The Browns acquired so much draft capital, and with where their roster and their cap is at, it is exactly what they needed to do.

The next challenge is to hit on those picks when they come up. When you make a bold move like that, you cannot miss going forward. With their newly acquired fifth pick in the draft, the Browns selected Mason Graham, a defensive tackle from Michigan.

Graham is as close to a can’t-miss prospect as you could get. I do not believe that he has stardom in his future, but he has the tools and the skill to be a guy in the league for a very long time.

It wasn’t the sexy move, but Cleveland made the right move falling back at two. The sad truth is that this roster is not ready for Hunter and he would have largely gone to waste. This was the first indication that it may get worse in Cleveland before it gets better, but that’s nothing Browns fans aren't used to.

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Anthony Moeglin
ANTHONY MOEGLIN

Anthony Moeglin is a northeast Ohio native, who most notably quarterbacked John Carroll University to the NCAA DIII National Semifinals in 2016 after beating the No. 1 team in the country twice in a 4-week stretch. He contributes written and video/podcast content for Browns Digest, as well as serving as the lead football analyst for BuckeyesNow on the FanNation network.