The Cleveland Browns had a busy few days during the 2025 NFL Draft as they were stockpiled with picks to help jumpstart their rebuild.
The Browns made a splash on each day with their moves, first trading back in the first round from No. 2 to No. 5 to pick up some value draft picks from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
All eyes were also on Cleveland as they were widely expected to take a quarterback, and they ended up coming away with two from the draft.
Shedeur Sanders was heavily linked to the Browns during the predraft process, and he ended up with them, albeit after falling all the way to the fifth round.
In fact, Sanders was the second quarterback Cleveland took as they selected Dillon Gabriel late in the third round.
Gabriel was considered a modest quarterback prospect and was named one of the biggest reaches in the draft via Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team.
“If you flip the order of Cleveland’s two drafted quarterbacks, there are almost no qualms. However, it was stunning when they selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round. While his experience and mobility are great for a backup, his weak arm and issues against pressure will pigeonhole his upside and opportunities,” Valentino wrote. “It’s an odd and expensive bet to make on someone without the physical tools of an NFL starter.”
While Gabriel is a strong pocket passer who’s got good instincts, he doesn’t have the requisite frame or arm talent that most NFL teams covet.
Sanders has far more upside in the league than Gabriel, so it was puzzling to see the Browns use such an important selection on the Oregon product.
Regardless, the team now has two rookies to evaluate this upcoming year, and it’ll be interesting to see how Gabriel fares.
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