Insider expands on why Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel before Shedeur Sanders

Two of the most surprising developments of the 2025 NFL Draft involved the Cleveland Browns selecting Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round before the club was able to get Colorado's Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. 

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated expanded on why the Browns selected Gabriel with pick No. 94 after analysts predicted that he'd be a third-day choice. 

"The interesting thing in asking around on the team’s decision to draft Dillon Gabriel in the third round is the near-universal sentiment I got from Browns people and those with other teams — the former Oregon star absolutely aced the predraft process," Breer wrote.

A previous report said that the Browns had Gabriel ranked fourth and Sanders sixth among quarterbacks available in this year's draft. Additionally, numerous stories have detailed how Sanders' alleged handling of the predraft process sunk his stock ahead of the player-selection process. 

Some have suggested that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam essentially forced general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski to trade up for Sanders at overall pick No. 144. On Monday, Breer insisted he doesn't "know" that happened. 

"Sanders was, indeed, separated on the board from what else was available to the Browns at that point in the fifth round," Breer added. "...I do know the Browns thought Sanders was more than a fifth-rounder. And second is that this is an effort to throw everything possible at the quarterback position and see if something, anything, sticks."

Such a plan makes sense for a club that hasn't had a single long-term franchise quarterback since it returned to the NFL in 1999. Team reporters are convinced that either Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player Joe Flacco or 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett will emerge this summer as Cleveland's Week 1 starter. Logic suggests the Browns will trade or cut either Flacco or Pickett by the end of August so they can stash both Gabriel and Sanders on their active roster. 

"The Browns are dating all these guys and not marrying any of them (yet)," Breer said about Cleveland's filled quarterback room. 

That's all well and good ahead of Memorial Day, but it will be interesting to see how Stefanski runs a competition for the QB1 gig as he also attempts to get Gabriel and Sanders ready to face live defenses in the event that either is needed to play in a meaningful game this fall.