Browns Draft Recap/Free Agency Update

The next phase of the 2025 season came and went last weekend, as the NFL Draft was held from April 24-26 in Green Bay. Going into the Draft, the Cleveland Browns had 10 picks in total, but as we soon saw, they didn't end up using all of them. Let's take a look at how things went down this weekend for the Browns.

Blockbuster Trade with Jaguars

Going into Thursday night, I had heard rumblings that this could possibly be the case. I initially wasn't sure what to make of trading down from the second overall pick, to 5. In a Draft class that only had a few stars at the very top of the board, I was hesitant. Especially with what looked like Colorado's Travis Hunter, an extremely talented two-way player, right in our lap.

I'm no GM, but I do ascribe to Hall of Fame GM Ozzie Newsome's school of thought. No matter what your roster looks like, or what your situation is, you take the best player available, and you find a spot for him. It works itself out. That's how I was thinking with Hunter.

But instead of grabbing Hunter, Browns GM Andrew Berry made the following trade:

Picks #2, #104 and #200 to Jacksonville, in exchange for #5, #36 and #126, along with Jacksonville's 2026 first round pick.

Usually I am not a fan of trading back. But I liked this trade for several reasons:

1. It gets us a first round pick back, and helps us begin to replenish our draft capital after the disaster of the Deshaun Watson experiment.

   
   

2. It sets us up nicely to go after not just one, but TWO first-round players in a supposedly extremely deep, if not generational Draft in 2026. Including a quarterback if we need one.

   
   

3. We still got a great talent at #5 overall to put with Myles on the defensive line!

Let's take a look at the first new Brown in the Class of 2025, shall we?

Mason Graham, Defensive Tackle, Michigan

Admittedly, I did not expect the Browns to take Graham. But once I realized what he brings to the table, a smirk spread across my face.

This dude is nasty. He may be 6'3, 296 pounds. But he is extremely fast off the ball with a quick first step, can stuff the run when needed, and could free up Myles Garrett if he performs like he's supposed to. Plus he's just a brawler up front. He might need to work on refining his game, but a defensive lineman with a mean streak will fit right in with Jim Schwartz's attacking 4-3 style defense that thrives when it terrorizes opposing quarterbacks.

The only really big knock on Graham, is that his arms are short for a defensive lineman. That's where he'll need to work on other areas of his game to compensate for it. He'll have to get lower with his pads, or blow by bigger, longer offensive lineman with speed. But if he does? Look out!

The Browns also went defense with the first pick of the second round.

Carson Schwesinger, Linebacker, UCLA

I know we're seemingly always weak or thin at linebacker, so this was definitely a pick that filled a hole, even if it wasn't a "sexy" or "flashy" pick. But it's extremely solid and underrated.

At 6'2 and 242 pounds, Schwesinger is stout. But not only that, he's a tackling machine who has a motor that never quits. His instincts and ability to diagnose and react to plays is top notch. And he's a remarkably consistent tackler. In just the 2024 season alone with UCLA, he recorded at least 10 tackles in nine of the games he played, and led the entire country in solo tackles with 90. He's got a nose for the football. See ball. Get ball. That's his mentality.

He'll also fit Cleveland's underdog mentality. He may have finished his career with the Bruins as an All-American. But he was once a walk-on before he made his mark. He'll be hungry not just to make the team, but to ball out once he's on the 53-man roster.

If he shows up, Schwesinger could give the Browns a future leader at linebacker, and a possible insurance option if JOK doesn't return to his normal self. I'm happy with the pick. It wasn't a huge splash, but it filled a position we're often weak at. Can't complain. Just hope this kid gets after it once he pulls on that Brown and Orange!

If I was happy with Schwesinger at 33, then I was absolutely ECSTATIC with who we chose at 36...

Quinshon Judkins, Running Back, Ohio State

While the second round of the Draft was going on, I was enjoying a birthday dinner with my parents and girlfriend, and wondering if we'd take either Judkins or Henderson at this spot. I saw the draft ticker announce Judkins as our 36th overall pick, and had to restrain myself from going nuts!

This kid is something special. But of course for anyone who follows Buckeye football, you already know that. But he definitely at least looks like he could be a solid replacement for Nick Chubb whenever he decides to call it quits or leave Cleveland.

I love Chubb to bits, and I still haven't forgiven Minkah Fitzpatrick for snapping his leg. He ruined a potential Hall of Fame career with one play. That was a dirty play, which seems to fit right in with the Steeler mentality.

But at some point, a team needs to cool off, move on, and think of things from a football standpoint. And Judkins may very well be the next great Browns running back if he shows up like he's expected to. He's a bruiser at 6'0, 221 pounds, and has great vision for running between the tackles. He's patient enough to wait for blockers to open up holes...and can make holes with brute force if necessary!

The next pick the Browns made at 67 wasn't as quite of a headliner pick. It a sneaky one. He's definitely under the radar. But he has me really excited the more I look at what he brings to the table!

Harold Fannin Jr., Tight End, Bowling Green

Kevin Stefanski loves using those multiple tight end sets. Whether it's to bring extra beef on a short yardage running play, or give his offense an extra weapon on pass plays. But no matter what Kevin decides to do, Harold Fannin Jr. will be an asset.

At 6'3, 241 pounds, Fannin Jr. is big enough to hold his own against linebackers when needed. But he's surprisingly agile for a guy his size when going up to make catches! Just look at that action shot!

And not only can Fannin Jr. make acrobatic plays when needed, he's extremely consistent in general as a pass catcher. Over the course of his career as a Bowling Green Falcon, Fannin Jr. made 180 catches for 2,396 yards (13.4 yards per catch average) and scored 17 receiving touchdowns.

This could also be an insurance pick for after 2025. While I hope David Njoku stays in Cleveland beyond this season, he's going to soon become a free agent. And he might be willing to test the waters after this year. Grabbing Fannin Jr. might be a smart move when it comes to planning for the future at the tight end position. He's got a similar build and skill set to The Chief if he decides to leave. This pick makes sense to me.

But this next one still has me scratching my head. In all honesty, I think this next pick at 94 overall was a legitimately bad pick of the Draft for the Browns.

Dillon Gabriel, Quarterback, Oregon

Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: I like Dillon Gabriel as an athlete. He was great at Oregon while he was the signal caller for the Ducks. And I'm sure he's a good person. I won't hate on him. He's a kid who just got drafted to the NFL

But having said that, he has no business being a starting quarterback in the league at this point in time. Much less the starting quarterback of a team that has gone through over three dozen of them since 1999. He's not the answer.

I remember all the crap people talked about Baker Mayfield when we drafted him first overall in 2018.

"He's too small!" "He won't be able to see over the line!" "How's he going to throw around or over long-armed defensive linemen?" Those concerns were certainly valid. Baker is definitely undersized for an NFL quarterback at 6'1 and 215 pounds. It's a testament to his work ethic that he's the starter down in Tampa.

But if Mayfield is small, Gabriel's a pipsqueak. At 5'11 and 205 pounds, I fear for this kid if he ever takes an NFL snap. Defenders will be licking their chops to pound him into the dirt. These are freakishly large, freakishly fast, freakishly mean grown men. Their job is to bring down opposing players. And if you're brought down by one of them? It's gonna HURT!

I genuinely did not understand this pick. It gave me DTR vibes.

But for all the issues I had with it, Gabriel DOES do a good job of taking care of the football and makes good decisions. He won't make many mistakes. Not to mention he's athletic enough to be a threat as a scrambler if he needs to take off for extra yards. The kid's got wheels for sure.

My biggest concern with the pick? Timing. The Browns did not take an offensive lineman or wide receiver in the entire Draft. They'll have to fill those needs later on by signing veteran free agents. But I would've taken either one of those at 94 rather than Gabriel.

You don't spend a still-valuable third-round pick on what you're hoping will be a long-term backup quarterback. Not when you have more pressing needs and talented prospects still on the board. Headscratcher.

But this next pick definitely made me smile! He's the second future piece of a revamped Browns backfield!

Dylan Sampson, Running Back, Tennessee

It's always nice when even a fan can see what a team is doing when they make a pick. We always want to be reassured that the people in the war room know exactly what they're doing. I don't often think that about the Browns. Especially after they took Gabriel at 94th overall, but this was a smart, solid pick.

Sampson is a completely different build from Judkins, but he definitely could help the Browns as one of their running backs of the future.

At 5'8 and 200 pounds, what Sampson doesn't have for in sheer strength or size, he makes up for with a low center of gravity. He's harder to tackle. He's elusive.

But Sampson could be dynamite in a smaller package. Not only is he a patient, solid running back, he's also a dangerous pass-catcher in space.

The NFL game has evolved to the point where running backs are often counted on to do more than just run the rock. They're called on to be extra receivers and be a threat to make a bunch of YAC (yards after catch) plays too.

But as a pure running back, Sampson is a solid pick at 126. During his career at Tennessee, he ran the ball 422 times for 2,492 yards and scored 35 career rushing touchdowns. I'll take that kind of production any day if he can keep it up at the pro level!

But what I WON'T put up with, is anyone who automatically thinks they're better than anyone else just because of "who their daddy is" or their last name. And that's exactly what I'm worried about with our last pick in the 2025 Draft.

Shedeur Sanders, Quarterback Colorado

I was having a good, relaxing day. I really was. But as soon as I saw that we took Shedeur Sanders at 144 overall, my blood instantly went hot. I was hoping and praying we'd take Will Howard at this spot. Instead, Will's now a Steeler, and we'll have to deal with the circus that Deion Sanders and his entire family brings.

This pick has Jimmy Haslam written all over it. He just could not stay out of the way, could he? He had to find some way to make a "splash." He's not content with building a team full of blue-collar, hardworking players. He's all about turning heads, getting people talking, and putting butts in seats. Manziel. Watson. And now Shedeur. I'm not surprised. Just seething.

Watch the video clip below. Then tell me you aren't instantly turned off by it. I dare ya.

That right there, is the reason all 32 teams passed on this kid not once, not twice, not three times, but four times.

There's a difference between confidence in your abilities, and full-on cockiness. This is pride. Hubris. And because of it, the entire league sent Shedeur and his dad a message:

"You don't dictate where you play. You don't tell us what to do. And you certainly don't get things your way. Not this weekend. Good luck."

I also find it hilarious that Deion bashed Cleveland in a March 2018 tweet talking about never going there if he were a young quarterback. And now his son is a Cleveland Brown. Karma came to collect.

I just hope Deion stays out of the way. But you know that won't happen. The man doesn't have the humility to realize that his son is starting from the position of actually having to EARN a roster spot. This is the NFL.

He won't get handed a roster spot simply because of who he is, or who his dad is. If he does get handed a roster spot? I'm about done following this team. Been a Browns fan for nearly 20 years. That would be the last straw for me if it happened.

Thanks for bearing with my while I vented, folks. I needed to get that out. Now I can actually evaluate who Shedeur is as a quarterback, and if he'd be a good fit as a Cleveland Brown.

He's undersized at 6'1, 212 pounds. But the one thing Shedeur has going for him is he's incredibly accurate if he has time to throw. Over the course of his career at Jackson State and then Colorado, Sanders completed over 70 percent of his passes, and threw for 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.

But along with serious questions about his character, he's also not very mobile, and will need a better offensive line to protect him if he's eventually going to be the starting quarterback for the Browns.

From a football standpoint, I don't think he'll be a franchise quarterback at his peak. At his best in the right system? I think he'll be an above-average to good game manager. A quarterback who doesn't make many mistakes, but who doesn't "wow" people either.

This isn't Colorado. He won't be able to dance all over the field no matter how much experience he gets. This is Cleveland. Squarely in the middle of the AFC North. "The Black and Blue Division."

He'll have to bulk up too, and add at least 10-15 pounds of muscle to be able to take the punishment of playing in the NFL.

But for now, he needs to learn humility and what it means to truly work to earn things. He's lived with a silver spoon in his mouth as the son of a Hall of Famer his entire life. I hope he humbles himself and genuinely earns it. If he does? I'll be genuinely rooting for him to succeed. Good luck, Shedeur. Prove me wrong, kid.

Those are our 2025 Draft picks. But the Browns still have a long way to go before they're a competitive, winning team.

What's Next?

The Browns didn't address the offensive line or the wide receiver room. They need to address both of those areas before the season starts. As of right now, there aren't any noteworthy offensive linemen currently on the free agent market.

But there are a few notable names floating around out there, including:

• Amari Cooper

• Elijah Moore

• Keenan Allen

• Tyler Boyd

Cooper and Moore are both intriguing options since they've made their mark with the Browns before. And Boyd could be a veteran presence without causing any distractions.

But as for who the Browns are going to grab next, it's anybody's guess. Stay tuned to the CLE-BUS as we ride through the offseason!

GO BROWNS!

Sources

Cleveland Plain Dealer, g3.football, Yahoo Sports, Akron Beacon Journal, cincinnati.com, Brownswire, YouTube, USA Today, Dawgs By Nature

Picture Credit

Yardbarker, g3.football, marca.com, utsports.com, cincinnati.com, athlonsports.com, wdtn.com, wallpapersafari.com