CLEVELAND, Ohio — Day 2 of the Browns draft started with a head-scratcher, started to make a lot of sense and then ended with a pick that stopped … well … everyone in their tracks.

What a night for the Browns.

Here’s a pick-by-pick look at what they did on Friday.

Round 2, Pick 33: Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA

1/15

Cleveland Browns choose LB Carson Schwesinger during the second round of the NFL Draft, April 25, 2025

Even if you didn’t like this pick, there’s a way to talk yourself into it.

Here’s where you start: With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s status uncertain for 2025, who is playing linebacker for the Browns this season? Schwesinger is Dane Brugler’s second-ranked linebacker and Daniel Jeremiah’s 40th-ranked prospect and No. 2 linebacker, so by those standards this wasn’t an outrageous reach.

Berry said at the end of the night that this pick was not an indicator of Owusu-Koramoah’s long-term health, but it still raises the question. It seems like the Browns picked a good player and filled a need.

Counterpoint: You could ask the same question about a number of other positions.

The Browns passed on two wide receivers, in particular, who could have helped them and that’s a position I would have prioritized. Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins went to the Texans with the very next pick and Missouri’s Luther Burden III went No. 39 to the Bears. It would have been difficult to argue with either of those picks.

That said, Berry’s view of his wide receiver corps has often seemed to differ from how those on the outside view it and the Browns, to this point, seem content to allow Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash and others get opportunities.

There is still talent to be added on Day 3 at receiver — think Jaylin Lane from Virginia Tech, for one — so the book isn’t closed, especially because the Browns addressed running back on Friday, but Higgins especially is the type of player who could have come in and competed right away for a starting job.

Even if you didn’t like this pick, it’s at least one you can try to understand.

Round 2, Pick 36: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

1/30

Cleveland Browns pick RB Quinshon Judkins in second round of the NFL Draft, April 25, 2025

This pick is about preference. Some people liked Judkins. Others liked his teammate, TreVeyon Henderson, more. I think Henderson is more explosive and he was my favorite of the two, but Judkins is an excellent pick. Berry referred to him as a bell cow a number of times during his wrap-up press conference at the end of the night.

Judkins is a physical, violent runner who should fit in the Browns’ scheme well. There’s a little Kareem Hunt in how he isn’t afraid of contact. He embraces being a finisher.

“(The defense doesn’t) want me to get the ball again because they don’t want to tackle me,” Judkins said. “Those guys don’t want to tackle.”

It’s easy to see how Judkins and Jerome Ford fit together in the backfield and Judkins can make an immediate impact.

This might go down as Berry’s best pick in this draft.

Round 3, Pick 67: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green

1/14

Cleveland Browns select TE Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round of the NFL Draft, April 25, 2025

The Browns’ affection for Fannin was obvious listening to Berry talk about him at the end of the night.

He’s really kind of the queen on the chess board,” Berry said.

Fannin shined in the games he had to shine in last season, putting up 137 receiving yards against Penn State and 145 against Texas A&M.

“He’s the guy that everybody knows that they have to stop, whether he goes to College Station or at Penn State, and he’s the best player on the field,” Berry said.

Adding a tight end on Day 2 was something the Browns needed to do and, since they went linebacker-running back to start the day, it made the likelihood of picking LSU’s Mason Taylor, my personal favorite of the Day 2 group, unrealistic. (He went No. 42 to the Jets.) Once Miami’s Elijah Arroyo came off the board at No. 50, Fannin had to become the target and maybe he was the target all along.

The Browns did well to stick at No. 67 and pick the Canton McKinley product who will come in and be able to pair with David Njoku and could serve as the heir apparent to Njoku.

Even with the success he had against bigger programs, Fannin still has a big adjustment to make going from the Mid-American Conference to the NFL, but he has the body and the skill to do it.

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

1/25

Cleveland Browns pick QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the NFL Draft, April 25, 2025

The Browns were having a nice day Saturday, checking off needs and doing common sense things and then they selected Gabriel, the 5-foot-11, 24-year-old quarterback from Oregon who it seemed would make it to Saturday.

Gabriel is an accurate passer who delivers the ball on time and in rhythm and threw for more than 3,000 yards in each of his final three years of college, including 3,857 yards last season for the Big Ten champs.

The Browns made their future quarterback intentions clear on Thursday when they traded out of the No. 2 pick and acquired an additional first-round pick from Jacksonville next year in the process, so picking a potential long-term starter in this draft didn’t seem likely, but that almost makes the Gabriel pick more head-scratching.

This is a roster with needs galore, like safety — Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts went two picks later — tackle, edge rusher and a long list of holes to fill, not all of which can be filled in one draft.

So using a pick on a player who will probably be a backup at best is a strange choice.

For Gabriel to be successful, he would have to be an outlier and Gabriel deserves a clean slate upon his arrival to the NFL. He’ll have a chance to prove his critics right or wrong.

This pick made what could have been a nice day for the Browns a mystifying one.

Football Insider newsletter free trial: Take a minute and sign up for a free trial of our Football Insider newsletter, featuring exclusive content from cleveland.com’s Browns reporters.