2025 NFL Draft: Identifying Browns Best And Worst Draft Pick

The Cleveland Browns had one of the most interesting draft weekends of any team.

Things started off wild, with the Browns trading the No. 2 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. As a result, the Browns got the No. 5 pick, and chose defensive lineman Mason Graham.

Overall, the team selected seven players, but didn’t have any picks after the fifth round due to some maneuvering. In a shocking twist that nobody would’ve believed a week ago, the Browns spent their final pick, in the fifth round, on Shedeur Sanders.

Yes, the Browns were the team to finally put an end to Sanders’ free-fall. Perhaps even more interestingly, the team just drafted fellow quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

Now, let’s identify the best and worst pick the team made over the weekend.

Best: Round 5, Pick 144- Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

It’s easy to identify the best pick the Browns made. Any time you can get a potential starting quarterback in the fifth round, it has to be considered a great value.

Shedeur Sanders’ fall is perhaps the most shocking draft slide in NFL history. Entering the draft, most evaluators had Sanders as QB2 or QB3 in this class, but nobody had him going lower than the second round.

In 2024, Sanders threw for 4,134 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The quarterback led all FBS passers with a 74.0% completion percentage and ended his college career with the best all-time completion percentage.

Still, several quarterbacks were taken ahead of Sanders, including Dillon Gabriel, who the Browns selected in the third round. From a football persepctive, Sanders could end up being the best value pick from this entire draft class.

Worst: Round 3, Pick 94- Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

The worst pick the team made also involves a quarterback. For some reason, the Browns felt the need to take Dillon Gabriel in the third round, even though most analysts had the passer lasting until Day 3.

Also, if the Browns wanted to draft Sanders, they could have just done it here. Or, if the team had a feeling Sanders would be around in the fifth, why not use this third-round selection on another position player who could’ve had an impact?

For example, when the Browns took Gabriel, offensive lineman Charles Grant and wide receivers Tai Felton and Elic Ayomanor were still on the board, and the team could’ve used any of that trio.

Now, the Browns are stuck with a loaded quarterback depth chart. Gabriel and Sanders join a roster that already includes Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson. It will be interesting to see how this all sorts out, but it seems unlikely that Gabriel ends up being the starter.