There is no team more desperate right now than the Cleveland Browns.
Mired in financial purgatory for the next 2 years as they try to get clear of the worst contract in NFL history and without a starting quarterback, the Browns also have the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft in a year where the available quarterbacks don’t scream “franchise savior” like they did in 2024.
One position the Browns are particularly lacking at right now is running back. Cleveland’s bell cow in recent years, Nick Chubb, is a free agent without a team and hasn’t been the same since a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 regular season.
If anyone is primed to take a flyer on a semi-reliable running back right now via trade, it would be the Browns. With that in mind, the Washington Commanders should reach out to gauge their interest in acquiring running back Brian Robinson Jr.
In exchange, the Commanders might ask for one of the Browns’ 4 picks in the sixth round. Hopefully their first one at No. 179 overall. The Commanders are also desperate to fill their draft coffers. They have been dealing away picks since the middle of the 2024 season in exchange for proven veterans and currently only have 5 picks in the 2025 draft.
Commanders Likely to Take RB in Early Rounds
That the Commanders went 12-5 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2024 spoke more to the genius of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s game planning than anything else.
It was also a season that featured a heavy dose of Daniels running the ball as he set the NFL rookie quarterback rushing record with 891 yards — something the Commanders should be loathe to try and replicate.
Robinson was second on the team in rushing with a career high 799 yards and has led the Commanders in rushing the last 3 seasons but has never rushed for more than 800 yards in a single season and only passed 1,000 yards from scrimmage once, with 1,101 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2023 as Washington staggered to a 3-14 record.
The 33rd Team’s James Foster projects the Commanders will take a running back in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, slotting North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton to them at No. 29 overall.
“Sturdy downhill runner with excellent contact balance,” Foster wrote. “Hampton has reliable hands and is a brick wall in pass protection. His vision and creativity are average, but he does a good job getting north and south and churning out tough yards.”
Hampton Called ‘Year 1 Starter’ in Pre-Draft Evaluation
Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson called Hampton a “Year 1 Starter” in his pre-draft evaluation and compared the 6-foot, 220-pound All-American to Detroit Lions star David Montgomery.
“Hampton is a three-down player with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and willingness in pass protection,” Parson wrote. “He has what teams need in a bell cow or lead running back.”
