CLEVELAND, Ohio – Talking to myself about the Browns‘ draft:
Q: Please, don’t tell me you’re going to write about Shedeur Sanders … AGAIN???
A: Nope. I plan to talk about the Browns draft, but this is mostly a Shedeur-Free Zone. To your point, I had already written about him a couple of times.
Q: Are you still upset about the Browns basically trading Travis Hunter?
A: I’m coming to terms with it. I would not have made the trade with Jacksonville. All the draft experts insist the Browns received what amounts to an embarrassment of riches. Jacksonville traded picks No. 5, No. 36 and No. 126 to the Browns – along with a first-round pick in 2026.
Q: What did the Browns give up?
A: Most fans know it was the No. 2 pick – which became Colorado’s Travis Hunter. The Browns also sent pick No. 104 (Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten) and pick No. 200 (Navy safety Rayuan Lane) to the Jags. The players were drafted by Jacksonville.
Almost a Brown, Travis Hunter was part of a big trade between Cleveland and Jacksonville.(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Q: Are you still in mourning about trading Hunter?
A: To an extent, but let’s take a hard look at what the trade has produced so far: Mason Graham (No. 5), Quinshon Judkins (No. 36) and Dylan Sampson (No. 126). We’ll have to wait until next year to see what the 2026 first-rounder becomes for the Browns.
Q: What about it?
A: The Browns have been looking for an impact defensive tackle for years … maybe decades.
Q: Who was their last defensive tackle to make a Pro Bowl?
A: I had to look that up. No names came to mind. That’s partly because they have had none since the team returned in 1999. The last was Michael Dean Perry in 1994.
Q: So we expect Graham to be a Pro Bowler?
A: He’s a No. 5 pick. If you draft a defensive tackle that high, those are reasonable expectations. Not necessarily as a rookie, but at some point.
Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins has become part of the Travis Hunter trade.
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Q: What about the rest of the deal?
A: I like this part: Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins (No. 36) and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (No. 126).
Q: Two running backs?
A: Browns GM Andrew Berry said he didn’t go into the draft intending to pick two running backs, but Sampson was too enticing to pass up at No. 126. Sampson led the SEC in rushing in 2024. Judkins was No. 2 in rushing in the SEC when he played for Mississippi in 2023. They are both big-time runners, and picking them is a good sign.
Q: Why?
A: Because it shows a commitment to the running game. The most amazing (and alarming) stat about the Browns in 2024 is they led the NFL in pass attempts. Yet, they still were the NFL’s lowest-scoring team (15.2 points per game). They junked the old zone-blocking, run-based offense from coach Kevin Stefanski (2020-23) and tried a wide-open passing offense in 2024 to help Deshaun Watson. Now, they are back to their roots.
Q; Wouldn’t they have been better off taking a receiver or offensive lineman at No. 126?
A: You can make that argument. They need help at both positions. But I’ll take the two running backs. They also can help on special teams. They supply depth. Fans know running backs get hurt. Both guys performed at an elite level in the two premier college football conferences – the SEC and Big Ten.
Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson is the third player coming to Cleveland in the 2025 draft via the the Hunter deal with Jacksonville.
Wade Payne, AP
Q: That means no more Nick Chubb?
A: Correct. Once the Browns didn’t sign him early in the spring, I realized it was over for my favorite Cleveland Brown. I believe the Browns didn’t want to be the team that cuts him in training camp or during the season. They have all the medical reports. They know the impact of the knee injury he suffered early in the 2023 season.
Q: That’s really sad.
A: I agree. Given the severity of Chubb’s knee injury, it’s remarkable he made it back on the field. He carried the ball 102 times for 332 yards, a 3.1 average. His longest run was 19 yards. Perhaps the knee will be stronger this season, but the Browns want younger (and healthier) backs at the position. I do expect some team to give Chubb a chance.
Q: So what about the two running backs?
A: The offense needs impact players. The running backs are part of the solution. Berry drafted two QBs: Dillon Gabriel and Sanders. He brought in Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. All six of those players are new compared to the 2024 roster. I like that approach. It’s moving away from the Watson Era.
Q: Overall, what do you think of the draft?
A: Once they picked Dillon Gabriel, I thought that was it for the QBs. We’ll see how it works with Sanders. To be fair, this isn’t like making a huge trade for Watson or using a first-round pick on Johnny Manziel. It’s not even taking DeShone Kizer in the second round. It’s a fifth-round pick. The key is the Browns letting Sanders know he’s a fifth-round pick with lots to prove.
A: It’s obvious the Browns front office had him rated higher than most draft experts. Then again, the experts had Sanders rated higher than all of the NFL. If the Browns find even an average starting QB from Gabriel/Sanders, that’s a huge achievement given where they were drafted.
Q: Who is your favorite Browns pick?
A: I love the story of Carson Schwesinger, who went from a walk-on at UCLA to a special teams star to an All-America linebacker. He was a tackling machine at UCLA, and the Browns need that. But my favorite is Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. The tight end caught 117 passes. A former defensive back at Canton McKinley, Fannin will thrive with the Browns.