The Cleveland Browns are continuing to put together their offseason puzzle. The complicated process had a big piece in place when Joe Flacco returned to Cleveland on a one-year deal and there’s a good chance that the 40-year-old could win the starting quarterback job later this offseason.
With an important role in front of him, Flacco naturally has some opinions on what the Browns do in the draft. Sitting with the second overall selection, the Browns could be in the market for a quarterback of the future but they could also take a player that has an impact elsewhere and delay the franchise signal caller debate until next season.
It has Flacco looking carefully at a player considered to be the favorite to be selected by Cleveland next week and the impact he could make if he’s selected by the Browns.
Joe Flacco Has High Praise for Browns Draft Target Travis Hunter
Flacco appeared on ESPN Cleveland on Wednesday and was asked about Colorado star Travis Hunter. The playmaker, who intends to play receiver and cornerback coming into the NFL, undoubtedly caught the attention of a potential future teammate as he praised his ability over his game-changing abilities.
“I don’t pay too much attention to college football anymore, but it was hard not to notice him,” Flacco said. “You’ve got to give him credit. I mean, obviously, he’s super explosive and is a game changer. But anytime you get a guy that can play both ways, whether he’s actually going to play both ways at the next level [or] whatever, like, the fact that he has the ability to do that, it just shows you that he’s more than just like an athletic."
.@JoeFlacco talks about the possibility of the Browns drafting Travis Hunter.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) April 16, 2025
"He actually has a feel on how to play the game" pic.twitter.com/C3kdtvzJ2J
Hunter’s play with the Buffaloes backs up Flacco’s assessment. The soon-to-be 22-year old was the top athlete and No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and had a decorated collegiate career at Jackson State and Colorado. He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns playing wide receiver and also recorded 36 total tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass defenses as a cornerback on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy last season.
The idea of playing both receiver and cornerback in the NFL is a lofty one. Few players have done it since Paul Hornung was running around playing running back, kicker and safety for the Green Bay Packers before the internet was created. It feels even more difficult in the NFL considering the time commitment where positional meetings take place often at the same time and the athletic standard has risen.
Could Hunter be the first player in the modern era to pull it off? Possibly. But his potential future quarterback thinks it could happen and he endorses the idea that the Browns should be the team to find out.