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BEREA — Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, general manager Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski all spoke to a small group of writers during the NFL owners meetings in March. There was one common theme that all seemed to hold to throughout those conversation.
The need for a quarterback wasn't going to dictate the decision to necessarily draft a quarterback. At least, it wasn't going to high in the draft.
That held true on the first day of the NFL draft, when the Browns' only controversy was trading out of the No. 2 pick — and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter — and ending up with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at pick No. 5. It even held true over their first three picks over the second day, at Nos. 33 (UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger) and 36 (Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins) in the second round, and No. 67 (Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr.) in the third round.
Then the No. 94 overall pick, less than 10 picks from the end of the third round, came around. That's when the Browns decided to go for the quarterback: 24-year-old Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
"We spent a lot of time with Dillon throughout this process, brought him in right after the combine, did obviously the private visit and workouts out in Eugene," Berry said right after the pick was made. "Decorated college career, very accurate, very poised, throws with anticipation, good mobility. We just thought he had a really well-rounded game."
The Browns had five quarterback meetings that were well-known. Four of those quarterbacks, however, were gone by the time it was their turn to pick.
Miami's Cam Ward and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart both went in the first round. Louisville's Tyler Shough and Alabama's Jalen Milroe both went on the second day of the draft, with Shough going four picks after Judkins and Milroe just two before Gabriel.
Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, in whom the Browns signaled a very public interest with the contingent they brought to his pro day, remained on the board. Sanders will start the third day of the draft still there, after the Browns took Gabriel instead.
"You know, I think he’s a really strong, really, really good prospect," Berry said of Gabriel. "You know, that’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But, we felt strongly about Dillon. We think he’s an excellent player and felt like he was the most appropriate player to pick for both”
Will Gabriel be the most appropriate player to play quarterback for the Browns? It's either him, or one of Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett at this point.
Not the kind of quarterback room that screams playoffs in 2025. Certainly not the quarterback room that screams "problem solved," either.
Or maybe what the three Browns leaders were saying in Florida a month ago should have been alarm sounding that, whatever quarterback you may have thought they liked, it wasn't going to be the one they actually did like. They said they weren't going to "force it" to find a franchise quarterback.
Where a 5-foot-11, 205-pound 24-year-old who played six years of college falls is in the eye of the beholder. A lot more may look and see a force at quarterback than would see a franchise quarterback.
Here are a couple more takeaways from the Browns' second day of the draft:
The four quarterbacks who were taken before Gabriel would absolutely have fallen in the category of "ideal height" for an NFL quarterback. Three of them are 6-2, and Shough is 6-5.
The Browns, who had issues with a couple of "undersized quarterbacks" in the last decade or so, drafted another one with the 5-11 Gabriel. Stefanski, though, said there are ways to work around that issue.
"Obviously, there’s guys that have come before Dillon," Stefanski said. "There are guys that will come after him that don’t have the, quote, unquote, ideal height. But [it] hasn’t held him back in his career. You know, he’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done. And, you know, that’s so important.
"There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes. You have to be able to move in the pocket. You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
There may have been the need to squint to see the schematic fit with Gabriel. There isn't that with Judkins and Fannin.
The physically imposing Judkins clearly is in the mold of running backs who have had success in Cleveland. Look no further than fan favorite free agent Nick Chubb or native son Kareem Hunt.
"With Q, we feel like he’s just a very well-rounded back and we’ve obviously been spoiled over the past couple years, particularly with Nick and Kareem, and we feel like he is very much in that mold in terms of skill set," Berry said. "Not necessarily saying that he’s going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players — we certainly hope that’s the case — but we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us."
Fannin, meanwhile, is the ideal 21st century tight end. In a lot of ways, he's a lot like his new Browns teammate, David Njoku.
The Canton native split his snaps formationally almost even. He line up inline/wing 38.3% of the time, slot 31.7% and out wide 26.2%.
"Harold, he’s a mismatch piece for us in terms of how defenses are going to have to account for him and David on the field when we’re in 12-personnel," Berry said. "And whether he’s split out, whether he’s in a traditional alignment, whether he’s in the backfield, he gives us that flexibility for Kevin and [offensive coordinator] Tommy [Rees] to be really creative in terms of how they design personnel packages, formations, and ultimately scheme up the run and pass game.
"And in terms of Dillon, I kind of touched on him already, but that’s how we would view it.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dillon Gabriel a 'forced' pick for QB by Browns: NFL draft takeaways
Continue reading...
The need for a quarterback wasn't going to dictate the decision to necessarily draft a quarterback. At least, it wasn't going to high in the draft.
That held true on the first day of the NFL draft, when the Browns' only controversy was trading out of the No. 2 pick — and Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter — and ending up with Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at pick No. 5. It even held true over their first three picks over the second day, at Nos. 33 (UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger) and 36 (Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins) in the second round, and No. 67 (Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr.) in the third round.
Then the No. 94 overall pick, less than 10 picks from the end of the third round, came around. That's when the Browns decided to go for the quarterback: 24-year-old Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
"We spent a lot of time with Dillon throughout this process, brought him in right after the combine, did obviously the private visit and workouts out in Eugene," Berry said right after the pick was made. "Decorated college career, very accurate, very poised, throws with anticipation, good mobility. We just thought he had a really well-rounded game."
The Browns had five quarterback meetings that were well-known. Four of those quarterbacks, however, were gone by the time it was their turn to pick.
Miami's Cam Ward and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart both went in the first round. Louisville's Tyler Shough and Alabama's Jalen Milroe both went on the second day of the draft, with Shough going four picks after Judkins and Milroe just two before Gabriel.
Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, in whom the Browns signaled a very public interest with the contingent they brought to his pro day, remained on the board. Sanders will start the third day of the draft still there, after the Browns took Gabriel instead.
"You know, I think he’s a really strong, really, really good prospect," Berry said of Gabriel. "You know, that’s not to say that we didn’t meet with other quarterbacks that we thought were really talented players and good people. But, we felt strongly about Dillon. We think he’s an excellent player and felt like he was the most appropriate player to pick for both”
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Will Gabriel be the most appropriate player to play quarterback for the Browns? It's either him, or one of Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett at this point.
Not the kind of quarterback room that screams playoffs in 2025. Certainly not the quarterback room that screams "problem solved," either.
Or maybe what the three Browns leaders were saying in Florida a month ago should have been alarm sounding that, whatever quarterback you may have thought they liked, it wasn't going to be the one they actually did like. They said they weren't going to "force it" to find a franchise quarterback.
Where a 5-foot-11, 205-pound 24-year-old who played six years of college falls is in the eye of the beholder. A lot more may look and see a force at quarterback than would see a franchise quarterback.
Here are a couple more takeaways from the Browns' second day of the draft:
Kevin Stefanski defends lack of 'ideal height' with QB Dillon Gabriel
The four quarterbacks who were taken before Gabriel would absolutely have fallen in the category of "ideal height" for an NFL quarterback. Three of them are 6-2, and Shough is 6-5.
The Browns, who had issues with a couple of "undersized quarterbacks" in the last decade or so, drafted another one with the 5-11 Gabriel. Stefanski, though, said there are ways to work around that issue.
"Obviously, there’s guys that have come before Dillon," Stefanski said. "There are guys that will come after him that don’t have the, quote, unquote, ideal height. But [it] hasn’t held him back in his career. You know, he’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done. And, you know, that’s so important.
"There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes. You have to be able to move in the pocket. You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
Cleveland Browns see scheme fits with Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr.
There may have been the need to squint to see the schematic fit with Gabriel. There isn't that with Judkins and Fannin.
You must be registered for see images attach
The physically imposing Judkins clearly is in the mold of running backs who have had success in Cleveland. Look no further than fan favorite free agent Nick Chubb or native son Kareem Hunt.
"With Q, we feel like he’s just a very well-rounded back and we’ve obviously been spoiled over the past couple years, particularly with Nick and Kareem, and we feel like he is very much in that mold in terms of skill set," Berry said. "Not necessarily saying that he’s going to, with certainty, develop into one of those players — we certainly hope that’s the case — but we think that he can be a bell cow runner that can really carry the load for us."
Fannin, meanwhile, is the ideal 21st century tight end. In a lot of ways, he's a lot like his new Browns teammate, David Njoku.
The Canton native split his snaps formationally almost even. He line up inline/wing 38.3% of the time, slot 31.7% and out wide 26.2%.
"Harold, he’s a mismatch piece for us in terms of how defenses are going to have to account for him and David on the field when we’re in 12-personnel," Berry said. "And whether he’s split out, whether he’s in a traditional alignment, whether he’s in the backfield, he gives us that flexibility for Kevin and [offensive coordinator] Tommy [Rees] to be really creative in terms of how they design personnel packages, formations, and ultimately scheme up the run and pass game.
"And in terms of Dillon, I kind of touched on him already, but that’s how we would view it.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dillon Gabriel a 'forced' pick for QB by Browns: NFL draft takeaways
Continue reading...
