Browns Join List of 2025 NFL Draft's Biggest Wild-Card Teams After Joe Flacco Signing

We’re in the midst of the maelstrom now.

With less than two weeks remaining until the 2025 NFL draft, there are mock drafts seemingly by the dozens published on a daily basis. But just as frequent as those are written, news breaks that could have a major impact on how the early part of Round 1 plays out.

There have been multiple instances of this just in the past few days, including in Cleveland, where the Browns will pick second overall.

Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, the Browns agreed to terms on a one-year deal with quarterback Joe Flacco, who won Comeback Player of the Year honors with the team in 2023.

Deshaun Watson is unlikely to play in 2025 after tearing his Achilles, which had led many draftniks to slot a quarterback to the Browns at No. 2. But with Kenny Pickett and Flacco in town, Miami's Cam Ward widely expected to first overall to Tennessee and this year’s class at quarterback regarded as relatively weak, it’s now far less certain (and perhaps even unlikely) they will draft a QB in Round 1.

The Browns are now one more wild card in a top 10 full of them.

When a deck has six Jokers, it's a good bet it's going to be a wacky game of cards.

Cleveland Browns

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There was a time not that long ago when many expected the Cleveland Browns to use the second overall pick on a quarterback: likely Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. In the March 20 mock draft from Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft Scouting Department, that’s the selection that was predicted.

But things have changed in the past three weeks.

With Joe Flacco now joining Kenny Pickett in Cleveland, it appears less likely the Browns will take Sanders.

At the NFL owners meetings , Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry told reporters the team was working through all its available options.

"I would say we're still working through it. There's a bunch of players that we like at the top of the draft. We continue to do our work on them, and I would say including quarterbacks. So, that's part of what next week and the next couple weeks are about, figuring all that out. The good thing is we still have time. We have a month. It's a big decision, so there's no sense in rushing it. We're going to use all the time that we have to make the best decision for the organization."

Now, with two quarterbacks in town, the Browns appear more likely to go the "best player available" route, either pairing Penn State's Abdul Carter with Myles Garrett on the edge or selecting Colorado unicorn Travis Hunter.

A trade down is also a possibility if a team is so keen on Sanders that it presents the Browns with a "Godfather" offer.

But what doesn't appear likely now (unless Sanders falls in Round 1 and the Browns trade back into it) is the Colorado product opening his professional career in Cleveland.

New York Giants

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This is a critical offseason for general manager Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll and the New York Giants. And the steps the team has taken have seemingly been with the intent of affording themselves maximum flexibility on April 24.

The Giants still have a long-term need at quarterback, but after signing a pair of veteran signal-callers in Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson, that need is no longer immediate.

Schoen told reporters the team is keeping all options open:

"Since I've been here, we've tried to set it up on draft day (so) that we could go play a game (that day). I feel like we're there now. That way you don't get backed into a corner or force yourself to do anything. Now we're in a situation where you go through the roster and say, 'OK, throughout the draft, where can we still upgrade? We're not done. We still want to upgrade. We have five picks in the top 105. We could go any position, so we're not ruling any position out."

Frankly, a compelling argument can be made that the Giants' best path is an easy one: Wait to see if Cleveland takes Carter or Hunter and then draft whoever the Browns don't. The Penn State pass-rusher and Colorado cornerback/wide receiver are widely regarded as the top-two prospects overall in this class.

But while that may be the wisest course of action, a trade down could land the G-Men a bevy of picks. And picking Sanders or another quarterback can't be completely ruled out.

New England Patriots

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Just about everything that is about to be written about the New England Patriots also applies to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who pick one selection later at No. 5 overall.

On one hand, the Patriots are in a spot. By the time they go on the clock, odds are both Carter and Hunter will have been picked. If for whatever reason they haven't, Eliot Wolf's job is easy: Take whoever's left.

Wolf told reporters that the Patriots are keeping their options open where the fourth overall pick is concerned.

"I think it's about pivoting," he said. "If you don't get plan one, then you go for plan two, and if you don't get plan two, you go for plan three. And I just think it's about keeping your options open, whether it's free agency, trade, draft."

The Patriots are in an advantageous position in that the team appears to have its franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. That opens up the options available to New England.

If the Patriots stand pat at No. 4, there are any number of directions they can go. LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell has been a popular selection of late on the mock draft circuit. Ole Miss tackle Armand Membou, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham and even Penn State tight end Tyler Warren have also been mentioned as potential targets.

It’s also possible the Patriots could trade down—if only a few spots. New England has a number of needs, and even a move back a few spots could enable the team to get an impact player and add a Day 2 pick.

Las Vegas Raiders

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It’s the dawn of a new era in Sin City. There's a new head coach in Pete Carroll. A new general manager in John Spytek. A new quarterback in Geno Smith. And a new emotion in the fanbase: hope.

The Raiders pick sixth overall, and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has been connected to Las Vegas in more mock drafts than you can count.

In fact, Spytek told told SiriusXM NFL Radio there's even pressure at home to take the talented runner:

"My oldest son has made it no secret, if we do not pick Ashton Jeanty at six, that he is walking out of the family and he is gonna find somebody else. Probably whoever takes Ashton… Jack is motivated by fantasy football and touchdowns in fantasy football. Not necessarily all of the team building."

Now, there's always a chance Spytek could be sandbagging, but that doesn't sound like a GM planning to take Jeanty. After extending Smith, it's not especially likely. But even if he's not in the Raiders' plans, they could go in any number of directions.

The Raiders badly need wide receiver help, so a player like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan could be an option. Defensive help like Georgia's Jalon Walker or Alabama's Jihaad Campbell could be an option. So, too, could an offensive lineman like Campbell or Membou. Or a cornerback like Michigan's Will Johnson.

This is also the point in the draft where we could see a trade up from a team looking to grab Sanders because we're nearing a potential landing spot for the young signal-caller.

New York Jets

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The New York Jets are another team breaking in a new regime in head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. And there's a brand-new quarterback in Justin Fields after the Aaron Rodgers fiasco.

Now it's a matter of building a team around a Jets core that includes players like wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner.

And as ESPN’s Matt Miller explained, with a roster filled with needs, there are a myriad of potential directions the Jets could go at No. 7 overall:

"With no clear-cut No. 1 need on a roster that has many holes, the Jets could really select any position outside of quarterback with the No. 7 pick. There has been speculation about trading Breece Hall, so drafting a running back is something we can’t rule out — even if that seems wild. Wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, and cornerback are also conceivable options. Since the Jets are under a new regime with first-time general manager Darren Mougey, there’s no historical data to rely on when projecting what they’ll do. This could be the first surprise pick in the top 10."

Frankly, dealing Hall and then taking Jeanty would make the new Jets look a lot like the old Jets—and that isn't a compliment. Fields needs passing-game weapons and help in front of him. The secondary lost D.J. Reed in free agency, and Brandon Stephens is not a one-for-one replacement.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Jets could also trade down here because there’s a team looming that could be targeting a quarterback at No. 9.

New Orleans Saints

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In Bleacher Report’s most recent mock draft, the NFL Draft Scouting Department predicted the New Orleans Saints would select Shedeur Sanders with the ninth overall pick.

It's a pick that makes sense given the uncertainty under center in the Big Easy.

But ESPN’s Jordan Reid doesn’t believe that will happen:

"From my conversations with sources around the league the past few weeks, the Saints are viewed as a wild card because of all the needs they have. New Orleans has done a lot of extra work on this quarterback class and been a constant presence at pro days, but there's some skepticism on whether it would target a quarterback in Round 1. ‘Would you really want to draft a young QB early and bring him into that situation?’ one NFC East scout said. This roster needs to be upgraded in the trenches, so I expect the Saints' first-round pick to be an offensive lineman or a pass catcher, such as Tyler Warren."

But wait...the plot thickens.

Just after Reid wrote that, news broke in New Orleans that veteran quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury that could put his availability for the 2025 season in jeopardy. That would leave Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener as the Saints' quarterbacks unless they draft one or acquire a veteran.

The salary cap in New Orleans has long been a mess, so bringing in a Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers would be problematic. Passing on a quarterback at No. 9 would mean Saints general manager Mickey Loomis admitting something he has resisted for years: The team needs a full-blown rebuild.

New Orleans' longtime GM doing that might well be the wildest development in what promises to be a wild Round 1 on April 24.