Travis Hunter to Browns, Abdul Carter to Giants in Mel Kiper's 2025 NFL Mock Draft

In his latest 2025 NFL mock draft released Tuesday, ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. projected arguably the two best all-around prospects in the class to come off the board with the Nos. 2 and 3 overall selections.

After predicting Miami quarterback Cam Ward to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, Kiper had Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter going second overall to the Cleveland Browns and Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter going third overall to the New York Giants.

The top 10 selections in Kiper's newest mock are as follows:

1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami

2. Cleveland Browns: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado

3. New York Giants: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

4. New England Patriots: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

7. New York Jets: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

9. New Orleans Saints: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

10. Chicago Bears: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

In the latest BR NFL Scouting Department mock draft, the Hunter and Carter picks were flipped with Carter going second to Cleveland and Hunter going third to the Giants.

For several weeks leading up to the draft, there has been a ton of speculation regarding whether the Browns or Giants would address the quarterback position in the first round of the draft even if the Titans were to take Ward first overall.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders would have to be the pick for either team in that scenario, but on Tuesday, Kiper placed himself firmly in the camp of those who believe the Browns and Giants will take a best-player-available approach.

Because of his versatility and all-around talent, Hunter is perhaps the No. 1 overall prospect in the entire draft.

Over his two seasons at Colorado, Hunter played a full allotment of snaps on both sides of the ball at both wide receiver and cornerback.

He put it all together at both positions last season, finishing with 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, and 36 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

It remains unclear if Hunter will commit primarily to wideout or corner at the next level, or if he may even try to play both positions to some degree.

Hunter ran routes for Sanders at Colorado's pro day last week, leading sources to suggest to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Hunter may have been "planting a seed" with teams that he wants to be a receiver in the NFL:

The Browns have a No. 1 receiver in Jerry Jeudy and No. 1 cornerback in Denzel Ward, but Hunter could potentially slot behind them at either position, giving Cleveland some options.

Cleveland does have more quality depth at corner than wideout, though, so it is possible Hunter will be used more often on offense if the Browns take him.

As for the Giants, they have a need at nearly every position after winning only three games last season.

Franchise quarterback is a glaring need after the release of Daniel Jones during the 2024 campaign amid his struggles, but New York signed a pair of veteran signal-callers in Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to bridge the gap.

Given that there could be better quarterback options available in next year's draft such as Texas' Arch Manning or Penn State's Drew Allar, it would make sense for the G-Men to address another position of need in this draft.

The Giants have a big-time edge rusher in Brian Burns and another with plenty of potential in Kayvon Thibodeaux, but they lost Azeez Ojulari to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, leaving them with a lack of depth.

Carter was perhaps the most dominant defensive player in college football last season, registering 12.0 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, and winning the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award.

He could help make New York's defense a fearsome unit, which would allow the Giants to be more competitive until they figure out their offense.

Night 1 of the 2025 NFL draft is just over two weeks away, as the top incoming prospects will begin their foray into the NFL on April 24 in Green Bay.