Well, that was definitely a weekend.
Thursday through Saturday marked the 2025 NFL Draft held right outside of Lambeau Field in Green Bay. It was no surprise to see the Tennessee Titans use the number one overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward out of the University of Miami. Ward was the heavy favorite to go first so many said the draft started at pick two because let’s face it, no one knows what the Cleveland Browns will do until they do it.
Enter the 2025 draft’s first bit of chaos.
Minutes after Ward was selected, Adam Schefter broke the news that the Cleveland Browns had traded out of the second overall pick.
I don’t think I’m being a homer when I say that this was a haul; or better yet, a heist. The Browns moved back just three spots, added the fourth overall pick in the second round, and picked up the Jaguars’ first round pick next year. I have read so many reactions from Browns fans who were upset with the trade and watching the Browns pass up on a talent like Travis Hunter.
My take on the trade: Cleveland lost three years’ worth of first round picks in the Deshaun Watson trade. That sets a team back quite a bit. Cleveland moved back just three spots, kept the 33rd overall pick, and then added the 36th overall pick. There’s no denying that this draft was loaded. I viewed those three opportunities at those picks as first round picks; there would be tremendous talent available at 33 and 36. There would be guys that would be starting day one taken with those picks. And not just that, but factor in they also added ANOTHER first round pick for next season from Jacksonville.
Back to the draft…
The Jaguars made the move to select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
The New York Giants selected Abdul Carter.
The New England Patriots selected Will Campbell.
Now it was time for Cleveland’s first time selecting in the first round since before they had Deshaun Watson on the roster. And they did not waste the moment. Cleveland selected the best defensive tackle in the draft, Mason Graham, out of Michigan. It appeared with this selection, that Graham was always Cleveland’s target with their first pick.
I think they did some finessing to get people to believe they were all-in on Travis Hunter and that’s when Jacksonville made the jump. Throughout the mock drafts that I did, I only attempted trading back once and it was with the Bears at 10. Of course someone like Graham was not available here. In the mocks that I did where I stayed at 2, I went back and forth between Carter and Hunter.
But let me be clear: I love the Mason Graham pick. I love the whole deal. They moved back just three spots, got their guy, and added draft capital.
Graham will be a day-one starter and be a part of a defensive line that is headlined by Myles Garrett. Throughout his three-year career at Michigan, Graham was extremely disruptive and one of the most productive at his position during this time. He was a two-time All-American. He finished his career with 108 tackles (18 of which were for loss). He had nine sacks as well.
Graham is a 3-tech who brings strength and speed to the Cleveland defensive front. His ability to get into the offensive blockers before they can get into their action is extremely impressive. Him lining up next to Myles Garrett is going to be really fun to watch. He’ll require attention and in doing so, will take some attention away from Garrett which will allow the monster to eat. GM Andrew Berry said that Graham was a, “DNA match for our defense.” That’s high praise and I can’t wait to see him operate under the defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. In his introductory press conference, Graham said that Schwartz had already spoken to him and that, “he’s been talking about taking the handcuffs off me. I’m used to playing blocks, but now it’s getting off the ball and doing more attacking.”
Some believed that the Browns may trade back into the first round, but that wasn’t the case. Following the Graham pick, the Browns did not make another pick in the opening round on Thursday evening.
Cleveland opened up the second round on Friday night and went a route that I never saw them going.
At 33, Cleveland selected Carson Schwesinger, a linebacker, out of UCLA. I won’t lie, I wasn’t familiar with Schwesinger ahead of this pick. What I’ve since learned is that he’s an absolute monster when it comes to tackling. As a senior this year, he led all Power 4 players with 134 tackles. Pretty good solo tackler as well.
Schwesinger went from walk-on to 1st Team AP All-American. He fills a need at linebacker for Cleveland. From the stuff I’ve learned about him, it sounds like he could become the quarterback of Jim Schwartz’s defense.
The Browns waited a few more picks and then it was their turn again at 36 and with this pick, they targeted a need on offense with the departure of running back Nick Chubb.
This pick was another surprise for me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Quinshon Judkins in Columbus this past season. All Judkins did this year was win a National Championship at Ohio State, rush for 1,060 yards on 194 carries, and score 14 touchdowns on the ground (another two through the air). He has a quick and is a physical runner.
Again, I like Judkins’ game a lot, but I thought they would target TreVeyon Henderson or Kaleb Johnson at the position. Nonetheless, I’m pleased with the pick.
The Browns were back on the clock at pick 67 and they added another piece to Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
When I tell you I love this pick, I mean I LOVE THIS PICK! I have been riding the Harold Fannin Jr. train throughout the whole lead-up to the draft. Fannin led all wide receivers and tight ends in the FBS in receptions (117) and yards (1,555). He didn’t just do that against MAC schools either. When Bowling Green faced Penn State, he caught 11 passes for 137 yards and scored a touchdown. He had eight catches for 145 yards and another touchdown when he went up against Texas A&M. Simply put, the guy is a dog (or should I say DAWG).
Fannin is a local product as well. He was a four-year starter at Canton McKinley before heading to Bowling Green and now, a Cleveland Brown.
GM Andrew Berry on Fannin:
“He’s really kind of the queen on the chessboard. He’s a really good ball-in-hand player, can separate as a pass catcher despite being a little bit undersized. He’s really a good movement style blocker and he fits perfectly in terms of what (head coach) Kevin (Stefanski) and (offensive coordinator) Tommy (Rees) want to do philosophically on the offense.”
The Browns had one final pick on Friday night. At pick 94, Cleveland went offense again, but it was a shocker.
That’s right, the Browns went quarterback at 94 and it wasn’t someone any of us fans or analysts expected. Cleveland had been mentioned in the same breath with the likes of Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders. While Dart went in the first round, Sanders was in the middle of a monumental free-fall, the likes of which we had never seen before. I had not read anything about Dillon Gabriel and the Browns ahead of the draft.
Heading into the draft, I liked Dart the most out of the quarterbacks; that was, if we were going to trade back up to get one. Well, Cleveland did trade up and when they announced Gabriel, it shocked me. To be honest, I’m still baffled. He was a highly decorated college player and his 155 touchdowns is an NCAA record. He joins a QB room that includes Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
Onto Saturday, the third and final day of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Browns added another offensive piece at pick 126 when they took their second running back of the draft.
The former Tennessee Volunteer back had an impressive 2024 campaign. Sampson carried the ball 258 times for 1,491 yards and found the end zone 22 times. Those numbers earned the running back the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award.
The addition of Sampson makes the running back room even faster. And I think this pick paves the way for the team to likely cut Pierre Strong. This pick initially had me scratching my head, but I’m really liking it now the more and more I read about Sampson. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and is a workhorse.
Ready for more chaos?
Cleveland was set to draft again at 166 and 192 on Saturday, but they decided to change those plans. The Browns called the Seattle Seahawks and made a deal to receive the 144th overall pick.
And with that pick…
That’s right, the Cleveland Browns traded up into the 5th round to select Shedeur Sanders.
About a month ago on our podcast, I laid out my thoughts on taking Shedeur because it was a certainty that the Browns would be taking a QB in this draft (fast forward and they take two). I said that I think most of the noise around Shedeur is because of his dad. Now, has Shedeur been the picture-perfect, high sportsmanship type of player. He has not. But I think Shedeur is in the same boat as the Ball brothers were with their father, Lavar. Now, Shedeur is not as good as football as LaMelo is at basketball — I’m not an idiot (depends on who you talk to). But Shedeur can play the position. He has a lot of room for improvement. For example, he holds onto the ball too long and takes a lot of sacks. He doesn’t thread the needle in tight windows as well as you’d like to see. He’s also a little too cocky for my liking, but some people dig it. Shedeur; though, is very accurate and he’s had success. He was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Second Team AP All-American. He had 37 touchdowns this season and threw 10 interceptions. He broke Colorado’s season record for passing yards when he threw 4,134 this season.
He was believed to be a 1st rounder and Cleveland got him in the 5th.
Listen, my head is still spinning. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I wish him nothing but success. It’s more fun when the Browns win games.
So there you have it: a game-wrecker on the defensive line, arguably the best tackler in the entire draft, two really good running backs, a young, high-producing tight end, and…
TWO QUARTERBACKS.
Overall, they had a really good draft if you look at analytically.
I think in many people’s eyes, Cleveland went from the darlings of the draft, to the laughing stock of the draft.
I fall somewhere in the middle and I’ll tell you why.
Going into this draft, my pick at 2 changed every week on our podcast. It was a bit I did. Honestly, I was fine with whatever talent they took there; I had faith they wouldn’t screw it up. Also going into the draft, I believed they would draft two quarterbacks all along. I figured it would be Dart and then either Will Howard or Kyle McCord. I was wrong — way wrong.
Before I get too far into the quarterbacks, the Graham pick, the Schwesinger pick, the Judkins pick, the Fannin Jr. pick, and the Sampson pick were all home runs for me as someone who covers this team. Also, when you look at this class as a whole, the quality of players that they drafted are pretty impressive. The Browns left the draft with the Big 10, SEC, MAC, and Big 12 Offensive Players of the Year.
Fine, I’ll talk quarterbacks again. It’s no secret that Cleveland is abysmal at finding their quarterback and sticking to him. (They had one; he got them to the playoffs and they won a playoff game — don’t get me started — Baker should still be here) Heading into the draft, the QB room was comprised of Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. That doesn’t scream, “AFC playoffs here we come,” to me. Competition makes for better success down the road. That QB room needs competition. I think adding two rookies to the mix will create a fierce competition this preseason. Joe Flacco got this team to the Wildcard Round a couple years ago. Kenny Pickett just played in a Super Bowl as Jalen Hurts’ backup. Dillon Gabriel is coming off a storied college career. And Shedeur Sanders is looking to shove it in everyone else’s “you know whats.” I don’t know what happens. I don’t know who starts week one. I just want someone who can lead the offense. Hopefully it’s one of those four.
Now, I do have a couple critiques about this draft for Cleveland. It really worries me that this team did not address wide receiver at all. Beyond Jerry Jeudy and maybe Cedric Tillman, it drops off rather quickly. I would have liked to have seen a pick spent on a receiver. And back to the quarterbacks, my critique is the order, or I guess, the decision to move up and take Dillon Gabriel at 94 when he was ranked much lower than other quarterbacks on the board. I just don’t understand that one.
But anyways, it’s time to put a bow on this puppy and send it home. I’ll say this, I read something on X that I truly do believe. Here’s the tweet:
If that was the order, I don’t think anyone is talking negatively about the Browns’ draft. (Except Bengals fans — they never stop lol)
Here’s to hoping that these guys pan out and the Browns go undefeated this season.
#DawgPound
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