With the draft mostly behind us now, we can begin to look at our picks with a more critical eye. While the draft wasn’t bad, some people have it as a good draft. Was it really that good, or could we have done better? I personally liked the trade in the first round, though a lot of people wanted to stick around at #2. The haul was good enough to make up for it though, and I believe it was the best choice the Browns could do.
First we have Mason Graham at #5, and I really liked this pick. Graham is a great player, and is in a position the Browns have struggled with for years now. At #5 he was the best player on the board, and was even more helpful since the Browns needed help in that position. Overall, I would have to give this pick an A, since it filled a hole while also giving us a great player overall. I would have liked Abdul Carter more, but him and Garrett are going to do well together on that defensive line.
At pick #33 the Browns went linebacker in Carson Schwesinger from UCLA. While I wasn’t a big fan of this pick, some people did like it. However this puts JOK’s place on the team in question. I thought there was better players at this spot though, such as more defensive line help or even some talented offensive linemen. While this did improve the team, it filled a spot I think was mostly covered, and there was better places to go to. For this pick I’ll give a C, since it isn’t terrible, but I think there was much better selections we could have made.
Next at pick #36 we have a pick I wasn’t a fan of, and that’s Quinshon Judkins, running back out of Ohio State. Sure running back is a position of need, especially with Nick Chubb being so questionable, and everyone else not being great, but again better positions. We only lost a few spots from our last pick, and there was more or less the exact same players still there. I feel again another defensive tackle or offensive lineman would have been better, since we need players in those spots. We’ve seen how injuries can plague this team, and no depth can be a problem. For this pick I have to say C-, and again I think there was better players to take.
At pick #67 the Browns decided to take a swing on someone unexpected, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. out of Bowling Green. This too was something I didn’t see coming, but not a bad pick. I had him at a B, but dropped it to a B- after looking over some of his performances. Not a bad pick, but I think there were better players. Despite this, I won’t complain too much about this.
In #94 the Browns finally took a QB in Dillon Dabriel from Oregon. I think where he was taken it wasn’t a bad selection, and the Browns simply need roster fillers in QB. With how broken the room has become, we need people to come in a try for the starting job, even if they don’t win it. We’ve seen how many injuries we can sustain in a season too, so having more players in the room is never a bad thing. Overall I’d say B+, a good pick, nothing special, but it still will help the team in more ways than one.
Next up we have my personal least favorite pick of the draft, #126 of Dylan Sampson, running back out of Tennessee. Sure we need more running back depth, but like come on. Our offensive line falls apart every season, due to injuries or whatever, and our defensive line depth isn’t great either. Running back is important yes, but it’s much easier to get a veteran from someone than somewhere like offensive line and defensive tackle. I feel this was a bad pick, I can see the vision somewhat, but not my style at all. D ranking.
With the final draft pick the Browns had, they decided to make kinda a shocker, picking the talk of the draft Shedeur Sanders at #144. This was a great pick, because by now the risk of him busting was worth losing a pick over it. Again we need people in at QB, and losing a fifth round pick over it isn’t bad at all. I think this was a great pick, and one that probably could be considered one of the best in this draft. It helped fill a spot you need, while also getting a somewhat decent player really low in the draft. A- fits well, maybe a B if you weren’t high on Sanders, but a good pick overall.
Now in terms of an overall draft ranking, I think a B- fits well. It got some places filled with good talent, but I feel it didn’t address the teams true needs. I think two running backs was too much, and I wasn’t certain about the tight end pick. Again it wasn’t a bad draft, but it wasn’t very good either. The trade was a big plus though, and I think we’ll make some good picks next year with all our shiny new draft picks. And who knows, maybe with a bad season for the Browns and a bad season for the Jags we’ll get #1 and #2 overall in 2026. Probably not, but we can always hope.
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