It’s not often you see an NFL team draft two rookie quarterbacks in the same draft, but that’s exactly what the Cleveland Browns did in 2025 by taking Oregon Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel in the third round and following that up by selecting Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
Gabriel and Sanders are competing for the Week 1 starting role, though it’s unlikely either of them will win the job with Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco having the upper hand.
Gabriel recently opened up about his relationship with Sanders, as reported by Irie Harris of Cleveland.com, who quoted him as having many positive things to say about his fellow rookie.
“Yeah, it’s good. You know, I think being in two similar, you know, times of our career of rookies and trying to learn and figure out our way, I think, you know, there’s a bunch of ways to do it and we’ve just been doing it by being ourselves. So, it’s been a lot of fun that way. And as you know, we have a fun room and a room that there’s just a bunch of diversity in a lot of ways. And we just use that to our advantage, keep learning, keep growing,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel is currently ahead of Sanders on the depth chart, but at some point, both will likely see some playing time as the team aims to figure out if either of them can be a potential long-term solution at quarterback ahead of the 2026 draft.
Cleveland has a pair of first-round picks in 2026 in what is projected to be a strong quarterback class headlined by Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, and LaNorris Sellers, so if things don’t go well over the first half of the season with Pickett or Flacco under center, one of the rookies could step in to try to prove themselves after that.
Sanders has brought an unreasonable amount of attention and hype to Cleveland that is uncharacteristic of a fifth-round pick, so much so that many have already forgotten about Gabriel.
Gabriel is going to have a chance to be this team’s starting quarterback, as there was a reason he was drafted two rounds higher than Sanders.
It’s an odd situation, but it’s great that the two appear to be getting along and forming a bond.
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Jerry Jeudy Sends Confident Message Ahead Of Season
