- Adding some juice to the defensive entrance: Despite buying and selling out of a top-two choose, Cleveland added an impression participant to fit subsequent to Myles Garrett in Mason Graham, the highest-graded inside run defender (92.6 PFF grade) in faculty soccer final season.
- High-profile quarterback battle: With a pair of veterans, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, already on the roster and a pair of rookies, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, set to compete, the Browns’ quarterback competitors is a prime storyline within the NFL heading into camp.
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Cleveland had an eventful draft weekend. It was a curler coaster journey that began with buying and selling out of the second-overall choose, foregoing the chance to pick out the top-rated prospect within the class in Travis Hunter, and ended with the number of Shedeur Sanders, a participant many projected this group would choose within the first spherical within the early interval of the pre-draft course of.
While the Browns added some gifted choices to construct round, some questionable strikes cloud the category’ future outlook and potential impression.
Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Draft Class:
1 (5): DI Mason Graham, Michigan
2 (33): LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
2 (36): RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
3 (67): TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
3 (94): QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
4 (126): RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
5 (144): QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Upgrading the inside with a relentless motor in Round 1: It wasn’t the Abdul Carter–Myles Garrett pairing that was usually mentioned within the lead-up to the draft, however Garrett nonetheless obtained a high-end expertise added subsequent to him on the defensive position after the Browns traded again. Mason Graham’s manufacturing at Michigan is difficult to disregard. He posted an general grade above 90.0 in 2023 and 2024, together with a nation-best 92.6 PFF run-defense grade amongst inside defensive linemen final season.
Continuing to construct out the center of the protection in Round 2: After transferring again to pick out Graham in Round 1, Cleveland picked one other defender on the prime of Round 2 in Carson Schwesinger. The UCLA linebacker is a high-end athlete who was the highest-graded blitzer within the draft class on the place (90.0 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2024). The Browns moved so as to add gifted gamers into the center of their protection, which was already their projected energy heading into 2025.
Rookie to observe: TE Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Fannin is a powerful receiving tight finish with nice worth after the catch. His blocking reps are adequate to maintain him inline as a TE2 subsequent to David Njoku, or as a wingback from time to time, however his bread and butter within the NFL might be as a good finish who you’ll be able to shortly get the ball to for after-the-catch manufacturing in a good end-centric passing assault.
Position/function battle to observe: Shedeur Sanders vs. Dillon Gabriel vs. Kenny Pickett vs. Joe Flacco
After Day 1 of the NFL draft got here to an in depth, the story shortly turned to the slide of Shedeur Sanders, the participant many projected to be the Browns’ choose at No. 2. The narrative took an extra flip towards chaos when Cleveland opted to pick out Dillon Gabriel within the third spherical over Sanders. But with their ultimate choose, the Browns made the decision to Sanders, making a firestorm within the quarterback room.
With a pair of veterans already on the roster and a pair of rookies set to compete, the group’s quarterback competitors is a prime storyline heading into camp.
Draft grade: C+