CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here’s what I’ve been hearing from top NFL sources about the Browns’ approach to the draft:
1. The Browns really did like Travis Hunter. If Jacksonville had not made an offer that included the first-round pick in the 2026 draft, Cleveland would have taken Hunter.
2. The Browns pumped up their interest in Hunter just in case a team did want to trade for him. Jacksonville was not the only team interested in moving up to No. 2. But the Browns had to receive what they believed was an “overwhelming” offer to make the deal.
3. After making the deal with Jacksonville for the rights to draft Hunter, the Browns drafted Mason Graham (No. 5 pick), Quinshon Judkins (No. 36 pick) and Dylan Sampson (No. 126 pick). They also have Jacksonville’s 2026 first-rounder.
4. The Browns believe between their own first-round pick in 2026 and Jacksonville’s (likely to be high), they can find a QB in the draft. If something happens and Kenny Pickett revives his career or one of the rookies surprises and becomes an effective starter, they can use the pair of first-rounders in 2026 to fill other needs.
5. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told the truth when he said this about the Deshaun Watson trade: “We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.”
6. The Browns have publicly denied the Watson trade had any impact on the draft-day deal … but think about it. Not having first-round picks for three years (2022-24) and trading two other lower picks damaged the franchise. The Browns went into the draft with the “get more good players” goal and really meant it. This was very close to a “best player available” draft for them as opposed to filling certain positions.
Dillon Gabriel
In their draft evaluations, the Browns clearly favored Dillon Gabriel over Shedeur Sanders. AP
7. I asked a source why the Browns drafted two QBs: Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round). He started with this, “Basically they have no QB. Secondly, like every team that needs a QB … finding a QB is the main job when you’re in player acquisition.”
8. The Browns liked Gabriel … a lot. At that point, Sanders was not in the plans. My source said he knows of at least one other team that had a third-round grade on Gabriel. Another team had a fourth-round grade.
9. The Browns stuck to their draft board. While they could use another offensive lineman, they had Tennessee’s Sampson rated in the third round. They are rebuilding the running game. They still like Jerome Ford. They took Ohio State’s Judkins in the second round. But they couldn’t ignore Sampson still being available.
10. They believe Sampson could make an impact and was a bargain in the fourth round. Two talented running backs who have excelled in the SEC and Big Ten (Judkins was first at Ole Miss) was too tempting to pass up. Now, they have both on rookie contracts.
11. The Browns believe Sampson can be very effective catching passes out of the backfield. Sampson led the SEC in rushing (1,491 yards), carries (258) and TD’s (22). He caught only 20 passes at Tennessee. The Browns believe Sampson’s speed can be a weapon on screens and short passes.
football players practice during minicamp
The Browns believe they got a bargain by picking Dylan Sampson in the fourth round. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
12. I asked about Sanders. My source said he didn’t know of any team that had him rated in the first three rounds. The source said he was a product of the Deion Sanders hype machine. The problem was his father/coach miscalculated where his son would be drafted and wasn’t buying reports to the contrary. The Sanders family acted like Shedeur would be drafted in the top 10. They turned down interviews with teams drafting lower, along with doing things such as skipping the Senior Bowl throwing drills, etc.
13. The Browns spent a lot of time with Sanders and also Hunter — both playing for Deion Sanders at Colorado. The Browns believe Sanders “is a good kid and is coachable.” They had a fourth round grade on him and they tried to trade to take him after drafting Sampson in the fourth round.
14. The Browns asked themselves, “Since we know QB is the most important position and we have a chance to make a value pick … why not do it?” They traded up into the fifth round to take Sanders, a round lower than they had him evaluated. Without a long-term QB answer on the roster, it was “logical” for them to take two rookies. That’s how it was explained to me.
15. The Browns thought about a fifth-round pick. Once in a great while, that turns out to be a starter. Often, it’s a special teams player — at best. Why not take a chance on Sanders? The Browns correctly believe QBs do have trade value. If needed, a year or two from now they can trade one of the rookie QBs.
16. The Browns don’t think the media hype will impact the team. Sanders is a fifth-round pick, not a first-rounder. The Browns believe he’ll work hard and do what is expected. If not, they can easily cut him.
Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp day 2
Shedeur Sanders is working hard to learn how to take snaps directly under center – something he didn't do in college. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
17. I heard Carson Schwesinger had a tremendous rookie camp, at least in terms of what the Browns wanted to see. The linebacker from UCLA looked very good in pass coverage. That is something you can judge in these workouts. There is no tackling. The Browns believe he can play all three linebacker spots, but he probably will emerge as the middle linebacker.
18. Harold Fannin Jr. also impressed. The tight end from Bowling Green should thrive in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. He has excellent hands. He is versatile in terms of where he can play on the line. He led the country with 117 pass receptions last season. The Browns want to return to their running/tight end roots. Fannin and David Njoku should thrive in that system. Jerry Jeudy can fill the Amari Cooper role (2022-23) when he was a deep receiving threat.
19. Because there’s no tackling in rookie camp, it’s hard to judge the running backs or even top pick Graham (defensive tackle).
20 As for the QBs, it’s silly to read much into the first weekend unless someone really struggled. No one did. Both Sanders and Gabriel were generally accurate with their throws. Sanders is learning to take snaps under center and did a decent job overall. There will be plenty of time to write about them as training camp approaches.