Execs unfiltered thoughts on NFL Draft for every AFC team: Did the Browns get it right?

Execs unfiltered thoughts on NFL Draft for every AFC team: Did the Browns get it right?

Now that NFL teams have had a few days to process the 2025 draft, it’s a great time to check in with league executives for perspectives on the most compelling decisions.

The Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars were two of the most intriguing teams, so we’ll start with a run through the AFC, hitting every team in the conference here. We’ll save the NFC for Friday.

Beyond Cleveland’s quarterback double-dip, capped by the Shedeur Sanders selection, and the Jaguars’ revolutionary expectations for Travis Hunter, we’ll explain why Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was right (and possibly wrong) for pushing back so hard on critics of his draft. Also, what binds the Jaguars to the Tennessee Titans? That and much more.

Baltimore Ravens

“Hunter will really affect the game and will be great for the quarterback, but I would not have paid that much,” another exec said. “We’ll see when they are not picking in the first round next year how it feels, and if it’s a top-10 pick they traded away.”

The Jaguars later added two 2026 third-round picks from Detroit, giving them welcome firepower next year in the absence of their own first-round pick.

“They had to feel really good about their roster to give up a high two and next year’s one,” an exec said. “But is Trevor Lawrence the guy? What happens if he suffers his third concussion in three years? Everybody makes those trades thinking they will be 25 or later. It seems short-sighted.”

Kansas City Chiefs