Multiple analysts rip Browns for two NFL Draft decisions

At the start of the first full week of May, some continue to wonder why the Cleveland Browns selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft and then traded up in the fifth round to grab Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders. 

For an article published on Monday morning, multiple ESPN analysts called Cleveland adding Gabriel and Sanders to a quarterback room that already featured veteran Joe Flacco and 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett as "the biggest head-scratching" moves of this year's draft. 

"Several scouts and executives I spoke to really started scratching their heads with the Gabriel pick, but the Browns also taking Sanders made even less sense," national NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler said. "Neither quarterback has prototypical size for the position, and I'm not seeing the plan on how these two will split reps with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in camp."

It's now clear that clubs didn't have a first-round draft grade on Sanders due to questions about his athletic traits and because of how he reportedly handled the predraft process. Meanwhile, Lance Reisland of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that Gabriel's 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame was "a concern for many NFL teams." As of the morning of April 25, many thought Gabriel wouldn't be taken until the draft's third day. 

"Two developmental rookie QBs with Flacco and Pickett under contract? In camp and the preseason, how will Gabriel and Sanders get enough reps to adjust to the NFL and prove they deserve roster spots? I don't get it," ESPN/Andscape senior NFL writer Jason Reid said.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is among Browns reporters who think the club will want to hold onto both rookies and also see what Pickett can do against live defenses in meaningful games. Thus, Cabot believes Flacco could be traded if a different team loses its starter and views the 40-year-old as a short-term answer for a quarterback conundrum. 

"It's tough for me to find a rosy future for Gabriel, who lacks the size necessary to make all the throws on an NFL field," analyst Ben Solak added. "He also doesn't have the compensatory arm talent and movement skills that shorter quarterbacks like Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have. I struggle to find a world where Gabriel really makes waves in that Browns QB room, even if Sanders wasn't there."

Barring a surprising development, the Browns are not expected to reach out to the Atlanta Falcons about a possible trade for wantaway quarterback Kirk Cousins. That means Cleveland's Week 1 QB1 is probably already associated with the team.

As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Flacco as the betting favorite at +116 odds to win a four-way competition for the Browns' starting job. FanDuel Sportsbook also had Pickett at +220 odds, Sanders at +370 odds and Gabriel at +830 odds.