The Cleveland Browns have the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which means they can go in pretty much any direction they want to improve the team. That’s good, because the Browns were terrible in 2024, going 3-14 to earn this draft spot.

So, who should Cleveland take? Here are three early targets for the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft.

EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State

Cleveland is a prisoner of the Deshaun Watson contract for the next two seasons, so it makes sense to ride that terrible deal out with cheap quarterbacks from the NFL scrap heap. Plus, even though the team is picking second in the draft, this isn’t a great QB class, so waiting until 2026 or even 2027 to grab the signal-caller of the future makes sense.

With the Browns’ No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they can take the best player available, who is Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. The Nittany Lions’ superstar is 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, and had 12.0 sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, and 66 pressures last season.

From a Browns’ perspective, they can lean into their strength, get another elite pass-rusher to go opposite Myles Garrett, and put together an elite, playoff-level defense that may be able to overcome the Watson fiasco.

CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado

The Browns have massive holes on both sides of the ball. They need pass-rush, offensive line, offensive skill-player, and secondary help. And there is only one player in the draft who helps two of those needs.

Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter is still a bit of a mystery in the NFL. Will he play offense? Will he play defense? Or will he continue to play both?

What’s not a mystery is the fact that, like his Buffaloes head coach, Deion Sanders, he is simply an incredible athlete and football player, so the chances are he’ll figure it out and become elite at something (or maybe even many things).

In Hunter, the Browns get a versatile player and a megawatt face of the franchise. Putting a seemingly good guy on the front of the program as the organizations starts to put the Watson disaster behind them is a good idea.

QB Cam Ward, Miami

The Tennessee Titans new general manager came out at his introductory press conference and said that if they think there is a “generational player” at No. 1 who is not a quarterback, they will select that player.

That’s bad news for the Browns.

This hypothetical “generational player” is likely Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, which means that the Browns might not get their favorite one of those players. Additionally, while it may be relatively easy to pass over Shedeur Sanders, if Cam Ward is on the board at No. 2, it will be a much more difficult decision.

Ward seems like the only QB in this class with a high chance of becoming the guy. Others may do it, but Ward is the most likely. And with the relatively low amount that rookie QBs — even ones drafted No. 2 — get paid, the team would be able to afford Watson, Ward, and have enough left over to at least start putting a little around the former Hurricanes passer.

Trade back

Did we mention the Browns need a lot of help and it is not coming via free agency because of the tire fire that is the Deshaun Watson contract? And did we mention this isn’t a great QB class?

Well, since the first part is true — and even though the second part is also true — the Browns may still be able to get a QB-needy team to come up and give them a future first-rounder and then some for the honor of taking Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.

If this is the case, the Browns should run to the phone and call that trade into the NFL offices. It is time to look to the furture, and even though the Browns own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the future doesn’t truly start until 2027.