How Cleveland Browns Trade with Jaguars Could Affect Giants' Quest for a Quarterback

With Miami quarterback Cam Ward swiftly taken off the NFL Draft board at the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans, the real hysteria of this year's event kicked in at the second slot held by the Cleveland Browns, who sent things for a twist early on with a big trade down.

Just minutes into the first round of the festivities, the Browns traded the No. 2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, aligning with their fourth-round pick (No. 104 overall) and a sixth-round pick (No. 200 overall) in exchange for the fifth overall selection in Thursday night's draft, Jaguars second round (No. 36 overall), fourth-round (No. 126 overall), and Jacksonville's 2026 first-round pick.

The Jaguars selected Colorado cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, while the Browns selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

This trade is noteworthy for the Giants because the Browns, like them, still need a quarterback. With the pickings extremely slim at the position, the Browns, who before the trade only held four of their own picks in the top 100, now have additional assets to potentially outbid the Giants in a bidding war if both teams seek to move back into the bottom of the first round for a quarterback.

ESPN Sources:

🏈Browns are trading the No. 2 overall pick, a fourth-round pick (No. 104), and a sixth-round pick (No. 200) to the Jaguars.

🏈Jaguars are trading the No. 5 overall pick, a second-round pick (No. 36), a fourth-round pick (No. 126) and their 2026 first-round pick… pic.twitter.com/9J3QPHqhhU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2025

Like the Browns, the Giants focused their No. 3 selection on taking the best available player to beef up the defensive side of their roster. They drafted Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter to create even more excitement from the pass rush along the defensive front with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence II, who helped New York to a top-15 sacks season in 2024.

As the first round rolls on, the pressure is now on the Giants to figure out a trade partner if they want to outpace the Browns, who now have the perfect set of draft capital needed to convince a team in the early to late 20s to exchange picks again.

In recent weeks, the most prominent league insiders have suggested that the two franchises could target the Denver Broncos' slot at 20, right before the Pittsburgh Steelers could get their hands on a quarterback at No. 21.

Denver might want too much of a haul to succumb to their space, and the Giants are already behind the eight ball.

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) throws the ball before the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Short of moving above Denver, the next best situation could be targeting Seattle at No. 18 or teams such as the Packers, Vikings, and Texans, all teams that don't need to entertain a quarterback this time.

The Giants could look to move within that range while seeing what Cleveland does. They could have a couple of options, such as Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe, whom they recently worked out privately before the draft opened up.

The atmosphere has set up for a war of draft capital between the Giants and Browns as both organizations grapple to find their long-forsaken franchise quarterback.

The Giants need to do some work because the Browns are off to a hot start in this draft.

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