CLEVELAND, Ohio — Eight days away from 2025 NFL draft and analysts are in agreement on what they think the Cleveland Browns will do with the No. 2 pick. And no, it’s not taking Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, or any other quarterback prospect. Instead, just about every new mock draft coming out has Cleveland landing Sanders’ teammate, cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. It’s the path I took in my latest mock draft last week. Ever since Colorado’s NFL showcase on April 4, it seems like there is more hype and smoke around the possibility of Cleveland taking Hunter with its pick. The fervor really began to heighten last week, when former Browns safety and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick dropped a bombshell, saying he thinks that Sanders’ camp doesn’t want him to be drafted by the Browns or other teams in the top three. It was a big deal because Riddick and Deion Sanders spent a year playing together for the Falcons and have remained close. Riddick backed up his assertion that Sanders would be fine not going in the top three in an interview with cleveland.com as well. As the Hunter to Cleveland talk has become more prevalent, it’s also clearly become impossible to ignore for draft analysts. “Cleveland lacks playmakers, and it would get one on both sides of the ball in Hunter,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. in his latest mock with Field Yates. “I’d play him primarily on offense, where his speed, ball skills and instincts helped him to 1,258 yards last season. But the Browns could also sprinkle him in at corner, especially in high-stakes parts of the game. Hunter has been my No. 1 prospect through the whole draft cycle and has the chance to be special in the pros.” Hunter’s ball skills are something the Browns have brought up repeatedly. It’s one of the first things Browns GM Andrew Berry noted about him at the NFL Combine in February, too. At Colorado last season, en route to winning the Heisman Trophy, Hunter ranked in the top five in the FBS with 15 receiving TDs, those 1,258 receiving yards and 96 receptions. “The Browns don’t reach for a quarterback at No. 2 here but instead take the best — and most versatile — player in the draft,“ wrote Pro Football Focus’ Jordan Plocher in the analytics site’s latest mock. ”Hunter would improve a Browns’ wide receiver group that featured only one player with a PFF overall grade above 70.0 last season (Jerry Jeudy, 73.5)." Hunter has been adamant about wanting to continue to play on both sides of the ball, including recently telling CBS Sports that if a team told him he would have to pick between playing receiver and cornerback, he would rather not play football at all. At Colorado last year, Hunter led the team with four interceptions and 11 PBUs. He allowed only 23 catches and one touchdown on 41 targets in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. The Browns and Andrew Berry have said they think Hunter can play on both sides of the ball at the next level, which is also part of why Mike Band went with Hunter to Cleveland in his latest mock for NFL.com. “The Browns opt to add an elite weapon instead of a quarterback (Shedeur Sanders) or pass rusher (Abdul Carter),” he wrote. “GM Andrew Berry recently told reporters he thinks Hunter will play on both sides of the ball at the next level.” Even if Hunter has to start lighter at one position, only playing a series of packages at corner for example, the team can always expand his role as he gets further along into his career, as CBS Sports’ Mike Renner pointed out in his latest mock draft. “The Browns could use the weapons for whomever is under center next fall,” Renner wrote. “With multiple expiring contracts at corner after this season, Hunter could work into a bigger two-way role as his career progresses.” At this point, the smoke around Hunter and the Browns is undeniable. The only questions now are, where there’s smoke, will there also be fire? Or is it all just a smoke screen?