The Cleveland Browns doubtless had no thought the 2025 NFL Draft was going to play out prefer it did. The whole lot pointed to the much-maligned franchise drafting Travis Hunter at No. 2 total and figuring it out from there, however a tempting commerce provide from the Jacksonville Jaguars modified the whole lot. The Browns traded down, drafted Mason Graham at fifth total and picked up extra picks for the longer term.
They then scooped up tremendous productive gamers like Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr.. That is when an enormous shock got here, as they drafted Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel over Shedeur Sanders, who they had been linked to for your entire draft course of. Cleveland passing on him within the third spherical made it clear that Sanders’ fall may have been countless. Finally, it was the Browns themselves who needed to put a cease to the slide. At 144th total, they needed to take the possibility on Sanders.
He nailed it! Dillon Gabriel predicted that he was going to be drafted earlier than Shedeur Sanders
May Shedeur Sanders win the Browns’ beginning job?
Now, they’ve put themselves in a troublesome place. They’ve Sanders, Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the most important query mark of all – Deshaun Watson – competing for one beginning spot. Most anticipate it to be Pickett, however Sanders is working laborious post-draft to make it as powerful of a call as potential.
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A clip of Sanders coaching, doing passing drills this week has surfaced. In it, he rolls out to his left and delivers a dime down the sector to a crossing receiver. The throw, and the truth that Sanders is not stress-free proper after getting drafted, has Browns followers excited.
In actuality, Sanders needs to be competing with Gabriel for a backup spot. Watson is recovering from a torn Achilles and really properly could possibly be stashed on IR for your entire 2025 season, whether or not he is wholesome or not. Pickett and Flacco are the veterans, though they do not encourage a lot confidence or have excessive ceilings. There’s a gap for Sanders, however he have to be good on and off the sector.
