Newsletter: Browns 2025 Draft Grades - What To Make of Everything

The Browns went from ten picks to seven over the three days and added a lot of quality talent...and a circus.

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

I’ll lead off by saying it’s fair to be frustrated, confused, or both by how the 2025 NFL Draft ended for the Browns. I’m pretty sure no one thought they’d end the weekend with two new running backs and two new quarterbacks, but it happened. I didn’t like the quarterback picks, but I felt the team did well with all the others.

The running theme of this newsletter will be “Give things time to play out before making a final call.” You can be upset, but don’t cast these kids off just because you don’t agree with the team’s decision-makers.

I wanted more in return for the trade out of No. 2, but after a few days, I’m a fan of the deal. They gave up a two-for-one star in Travis Hunter, but added two long-term starters, and acquired an extra 1st next year. We’ll have to let next year’s draft play out before giving this trade a proper grade, but the Browns are set up to make an aggressive move in 2026.

The quarterback decisions will be talked about for a long time, and deservedly so. I didn’t have a draftable grade on Gabriel, but there’s no way the Browns picked him in the third round if he didn’t at least have a starter grade. I could be wrong, but it’s hard to believe that he’ll ascend higher than being a quality backup.

So, the next logical question is, if they had a starter grade on Gabriel, what grade did they have on Sanders? A fifth-round pick could have a high-probability role-player or even a low-probability starter grade (Yes, DTR was in the starter tier in 2023, don’t remind me), but he’ll likely never become a starter. Then why draft Sanders? If you aren’t confident he can start one day, why add him to a position group that already has a rookie?

There are so many questions about those two picks that will overshadow a truly solid draft. The Browns added a lot of talent that can be the bedrock of the rebuild, but you have to look beyond those two quarterbacks.

Give it time to play out.

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan — Trade with JAX

Let’s look beyond the trade and talk about the player first. I really like getting Graham at No. 5, and think he can become a stalwart piece of the Browns’ defensive front. Coming into the draft, he was seen as one of the five or six blue-chip players who could have an immediate impact. His quickness, instincts, speed to the ball, and ability to win as a rusher are all excellent, and he’ll be elevated playing next to Myles.

Putting him in a DL room where he won’t be the guy right away should help Graham adapt to the NFL, and I think he’ll elevate the group once he gets up to speed. It’s hard to come in as a defensive lineman and be productive right away. Learning a new terminology, playing with dudes you’ve never met before, and getting pushed around by grown men on the other side of the ball makes life hard on any rookie. However, the success rate of highly picked DTs (2nd round or higher) bodes well for Graham and the Browns. A disruptive interior presence takes defensive lines to the next level, and Graham can be that. Don’t be surprised if he gets off to a slow start, but he has the potential to develop into a formidable piece.

I’ll keep my trade thoughts short. I said multiple times going into the draft that I wanted multiple picks next year to trade out of No. 2. There’s no denying the Browns came out on top looking at various trade value charts, but I wanted an extra pick because you were giving up a two-for-one player in Hunter.

You can’t truly evaluate the trade until it’s completed, so we’ll have to wait until next year’s draft to see what the team does with the extra first-round pick. As it gets further away, I like the move more. Spinning the extra 2nd into your likely starting running back is great, and an extra 1st is always great to have in your back pocket.

Grade: A