One year after the Cleveland Browns stunned the NFL world by trading out of the No. 2 overall spot and passing on dynamic two-way star Travis Hunter, the final results are in.
The Browns were already winning one of the boldest and most ridiculed draft-day trades in recent memory, but with the compensation now finalized, it’s safe to declare a winner. With all due respect to Hunter and the Jacksonville Jaguars, this one trade could one day mark the turning point for a Browns franchise starving to build a consistent winner.
With the final piece of last year’s trade for Hunter, pick No. 24 overall of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns selected Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion. The intriguing playmaker is most often compared to Zay Flowers of the Ravens, a player Browns head coach Todd Monken knows well from his time in Baltimore as offensive coordinator.
He could immediately ascend to 1B in Cleveland's passing attack alongside tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in a wide receiver room currently led by Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Isaiah Bond.
Final details of Browns-Jaguars trade for Travis Hunter shows a clear winner
If Concepcion develops into the type of versatile weapon that Flowers was from Year 1 in Monken's offense, Browns fans will be pointing back to the Travis Hunter trade for years.
Mason Graham started all 17 games for the Browns as a rookie, and although he got off to a slow start on the stat sheet as the No. 5 overall pick, he really turned it on in the second half of the season following an injury to veteran Maliek Collins. He piled up 23 quarterback pressures from Week 10 on, per Pro Football Focus, and he finished the season with 32 run stuffs.
While the Browns’ decision to draft two running backs during the 2025 NFL draft in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson raised eyebrows, fans could start to see that backfield come to life in 2026 under Monken's guidance. Judkins was on pace to lead all rookies in rushing before suffering a gruesome leg injury in Week 16. Sampson dealt with injuries as well, but he caught 33 passes in 15 games and could give Cleveland a productive 1-2 punch out of the backfield for years to come.
The jury’s still out on Hunter, who lost his rookie season to a Week 7 knee injury. Concerns appear to be growing about his ability to handle major roles on offense as a wide receiver and on defense as a cornerback going forward. Hunter is reportedly expected to see more of a full-time role on defense in Year 2 after the team locked up wideout Jakobi Meyers with a multi-year deal shortly after the 2025 trade deadline.
Jaguars fans are hoping to see more from running back Bhayshul Tuten this season after the team lost starting running back Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency. He filled a part-time role in 2025, logging just 231 offensive snaps, per PFF, so it remains to be seen how much of a workload he commands this year. Lane, a sixth-round pick, was a core special teams player as a rookie.
The scoreboard here is undeniable. Cleveland landed at least three locked-in starters in the trade for Hunter, and if he’s really no longer scheduled to be the two-way game changer the Jaguars thought they were paying for last year, the Browns can officially boast a major fleecing.