CLEVELAND, Ohio — What does Travis Hunter’s season-ending knee surgery mean for the Browns and their first round pick from the Jaguars from their draft day trade?
The No. 2 pick of the Jaguars after they traded up from No. 5 to No. 2 with the Browns, Hunter will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair the torn LCL in his right knee suffered while doing defensive drills in practice on Oct. 30. It was a non-contact injury.
Placed on injured reserve two games ago, Hunter will miss the final 10 games of the season after playing both receiver and cornerback in the first seven. The Jaguars said in a statement that he’ll return to full football activity in about six months.
His absence significantly hurts the Jaguars, especially on the offensive side of the ball, which could result in a higher first-round pick for the Browns. The Browns, who drafted defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5 overall, also received the Jaguars second and fourth round picks in 2025, which they used on running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. They also secured the Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2026.
Following their loss to the Texans on Sunday, the Jaguars slipped to 5-4 and No. 19 in first-round NFL draft order. The Browns also have their own first round pick, which is currently No. 4 after their 27-20 loss to the Jets.
The Jaguars have lost three of their last four after a 4-1 start, and will likely continue to struggle without Hunter, who was their leading receiver when he suffered the injury. In seven games, he had 28 receptions for 298 yards and one TD. The receptions are still tied for second on the team, and the yards are third. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner was coming off his best game as a pro during a 35-7 loss to the Rams in London when he got hurt the following week. In that outing, he caught a season-high eight passes for 104 yards and 1 TD.
Their other starting receiver, 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr., has been plagued by drops this season, but now leads the team with 30 receptions for 420 yards and a TD.
Hunter’s season-ending injury is also reminiscent of Deshaun Watson’s non-contact season-ending knee injury in practice as a rookie in 2017 — which turned out to be a season-ending torn ACL — when the Browns were on Texans’ first-pick watch that year. The Browns had traded down from No. 12 to No. 25 with theTexans, picking up an extra 2018 first-rounder in the process.
The Texans’ first-rounder improved considerably after Watson was lost for the season following a solid 3-3 start. They went 1-9 thereafter to finish 4-12 and earn the No. 4 pick in the draft. The Browns used the pick on cornerback Denzel Ward, who went on to become a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL.
Hunter, who made 15 tackles and three pass breakups at cornerback for the Jaguars this season, played 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps in the first seven games. Hunter’s loss won’t have the same impact on the Jaguars that Watson’s did on the Texans, but he was still arguably their best offensive weapon this season, and it could hurt their standing in the AFC South. They’re currently second behind the 8-2 Colts but ahead of the 4-5 Texans.
Even before Hunter’s injury, the Browns appeared to have won the trade, with Graham, Judkins, and Sampson all contributing this season. Graham is off to a solid start, even though it hasn’t shown up in his PFF grade. He’s ranked No. 43rd among qualifying defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Judkins is ranked No. 25 among qualifying NFL backs, and Sampson is now returning kickoffs, averaging 26.0 yards on his four returns in the 27-20 loss to the Jets.
But the crown jewel of the trade could be the 2026 first round pick, depending on where it falls and how the 2026 quarterback class shapes up. It’s currently not as star-studded as the NFL world hoped, but there could still be at least a half a dozen QBs taken in the first round.
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