BEREA — One statement about the Browns remains as true as ever: They’re not boring.
The Browns started the 2025 NFL Draft by trading down in the first round instead of taking two-way college football star Travis Hunter. They ended the draft two days later on Saturday, April 26, by moving up in the fifth round to pick Hunter’s former teammate Shedeur Sanders after the Colorado quarterback’s stunning slide down the board.
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Somewhere in between, the Browns selected the top-rated defensive tackle in this year’s class, Michigan’s Mason Graham, at No. 5 overall, filled needs and established succession plans.
Oh, they also shocked virtually everyone by choosing Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 (No. 94 overall) and positioned themselves for potentially more QB drama next year by acquiring Jacksonville’s 2026 first-round selection as part of the deal the Jaguars used to move up and nab Hunter at No. 2.
2025 NFL Draft: Shedeur Sanders’ slide ends at bargain price for Cleveland Browns
The Browns checked plenty of boxes, albeit in somewhat mind-numbing and awkward fashion. They also neglected wide receiver, offensive line and safety.
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So what overall draft grade should the Browns and general manager Andrew Berry receive for their strategy? Based on first impressions, they’re getting a B here.
Below is a review of their seven picks.
Here are our live NFL draft grade from Day 1
The fifth overall pick, Graham helped Michigan win a national championship in 2023 and became a consensus All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024. The 6-foot-3½, 306-pound Graham, 21, will be compared to two players the Browns bypassed at premium positions by trading down from No. 2: Colorado wide receiver and cornerback Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, who went to the New York Giants at No. 3.
Browns take Carson Schwesinger in the 2025 NFL draft. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Here are our live NFL draft grades from Day 2
An off-ball linebacker and tackling machine from UCLA, Carson Schwesinger was chosen in the second round (No. 33 overall). The 22-year-old Schwesinger is a former walk-on who didn’t start until last season, yet he was voted first-team All-Big Ten and first-team All-America in 2024. He gives the Browns insurance for Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, whose future is uncertain after he suffered a season-ending neck injury last year.
Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins (1) scores a touchdown as he’s hit by Western Michigan safety Armani-Eli Adams (30) on Sept. 7, 2024, in Columbus.
Pencil in the powerful Quinshon Judkins as Cleveland’s projected starting running back after the Browns took him at No. 36 overall, the second-round selection Berry acquired from the Jaguars as part of the trade from No. 2 to No. 5. In 42 combined games at Ole Miss and Ohio State, Judkins rushed for 3,785 yards (5.1 average) and 45 touchdowns on 739 carries. On Jan. 20, he rushed for two TDs and caught another in OSU’s win over Notre Dame for the national championship.
Arkansas State safety Websley Etienne breaks up a pass intended for Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (0) during the 68 Ventures Bowl on Dec. 26, 2024, in Mobile, Alabama.
A Canton McKinley High School graduate picked in the third round (No. 67 overall), the 20-year-old Harold Fannin Jr. could be the heir apparent to tight end David Njoku, who has one season left on his contract. After transitioning from a safety in high school to a tight end at Bowling Green, the 6-3¼, 241-pound Fannin became a pass-catching machine. As a junior in 2024, he had one of the greatest seasons by a TE in college football history, posting 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 TDs with four drops.
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NFL draft: Canton native Harold Fannin Jr. happy to still be wearing orange as Browns pick
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel warms up before a College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Ohio State on Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif.
Gabriel, 24, is 5 feet, 11⅛ inches and 205 pounds, so he’s an older prospect who lacks prototypical size for a quarterback. The Browns drafting Gabriel was a curveball. The Browns drafting Gabriel 50 picks before Sanders was even more bizarre. What appeals to the Browns about Gabriel is his accuracy and anticipation. With six seasons combined at Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon, Gabriel ranks first in career starts by a QB (63) and second in passing yards (18,722 yards) in FBS history.
Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson (6) leaves Georgia defensive back Dan Jackson (17) behind as he strides into the end zone for a touchdown Nov. 16, 2024, in Athens, Ga.
Here are our live NFL draft grades from Day 3
The Browns became the first team in the common draft era (1967) to pick two QBs and two running backs in the first five rounds of the same draft. From a philosophical standpoint, doubling up at QB makes sense because it’s the sport’s most important position, but doing it at RB is a bit puzzling. Still, Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, a fourth-round pick (No. 126 overall), is speedster who should complement Judkins well. In 35 games, the 5-8, 199-pound Sampson had 422 carries for 2,492 yards (5.9 average) and 35 TDs. Berry insisted drafting two RBs does “not necessarily” mean the Browns won’t re-sign Nick Chubb. However, the running back stable is crowded, and Chubb remains on the open market.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders before a game against Oklahoma State on Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado.
Plenty of people have skepticism about Sanders panning out after his free fall in the draft, but the Browns deserve credit for being opportunistic because they got him for a bargain price. They traded up in Round 5 and took him at No. 144 overall by sending their final two picks (No. 166 in the fifth round and No. 192 in the sixth round) to the Seattle Seahawks. Sanders often holds the ball too long, but he’s a tough, accurate passer who helped Jackson State and Colorado reverse their fortunes. As a starter, he went 23-3 at Jackson State and 13-11 at Colorado. Even if NFL teams were turned off by Sanders’ attitude or the influence of his outspoken father, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, picking him in the fifth round meets every definition of a low-risk bet on high upside.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns draft grades: Why Cleveland’s 2025 NFL Draft class gets a B
