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BEREA — The Browns didn't come out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft with Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. They traded that opportunity away to the Jacksonville Jaguars when they dealt the No. 2 overall pick.
They also didn't come out of the first round with a quarterback, either. They selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham with the No. 5 pick they received from the Jaguars, then stood pat as the rest of the round played out.
The Browns watched as two quarterbacks went off the board. One was completely out of their control (Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1) and one they could've possibly controlled (Jaxson Dart to the New York Giants, who traded up to No. 25 to get him).
The second round will start, however, with the Browns in complete control. It's not just that they own the first pick in the round, No. 33 overall, they now own two of the first four picks.
Do they come out with Hunter's teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders? Do they come out with any quarterback?
Or, were the Browns saying the quiet part out loud? That they don't particularly like any quarterback — even the son of Deion Sanders — in this year's class enough to overextend draft capital when the long-term answer may be waiting in 2026.
“Yeah, I think that’s a possibility," general manager Andrew Berry said. "But I also say that we’re pretty early in the weekend, so I don’t know how the rest of the draft is going to unfold. There’s talent across positions, including the quarterback position, and we just really have to see kind of how our next — I’m trying to remember how many picks we have — but next seven or eight picks, whatever it is, unfold throughout the weekend.”
There's certainly an argument to be made their opinion of the quarterbacks was set by the approach the Browns took with the No. 2 overall pick. Conventional NFL wisdom says if the quarterback is there, you take the quarterback because of the positional need.
The Browns, instead, said there wasn't a quarterback they valued enough after Ward was gone to spend a Day 1 pick to get. Instead, they turned that pick, along with their fourth- and one of their sixth-round picks, into Graham, another second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and, most importantly, a 2026 first-round pick.
That first-round pick, mind you, will come in a draft where the quarterback choices are, at least at this time, could be better than this year's.
“I’d say it’s maybe tangentially related," Berry said of the 2026 quarterbacks impacting the decision to trade. "But even with that, quite frankly, you know, unless we were going to take a quarterback there, it’s a trade we probably would have done regardless.”
The Browns have four chances on the second day of the draft to address their glaring quarterback need. If the third round ends and that need still hasn't been answered, consider that the answer.
Here are a few other takeaways from the Browns' first day of the NFL draft:
There's no question the Browns entered the draft needing defensive tackle help. Graham, certainly, delivers help to fill that need.
If the Browns had entered the draft holding the No. 5 overall pick and come away with Graham, the sales job wouldn't have been so big for the selection. The best defensive tackle entering the draft? You'd sign up for that outcome.
The problem is that the Browns entered with the No. 2 pick, and a month's worth of many building up in their minds the idea of the exciting Hunter coming to Cleveland. Instead, he's heading to Jacksonville and the Browns are getting a player who, while filling a need, won't fill any of the needs for an offense that's floundering.
"The message would be too much different than what I talked about in my opening comments," Berry said. "Look, we’re always going to make the decisions that we think can maximize the team or give us the opportunity to maximize the team. And you know, we’re really excited for what we view as an elite trench prospect in Mason Graham and in addition to that to get another top-40 pick this year and a future one. You know, we think that’s something that’s really going to help improve our franchise.”
Graham was a five-sport athlete in high school, although football and wrestling were the two sports he played the most. He was a two-time wrestling All-American at Servite High School in Mission Viejo, Calf., along with his obvious football accomplishments.
"It’s something that we actually track," Berry said. "Like, we actually have a specific area in our scouting reports where we ask our area guys to document that. And, candidly, a lot of these players, whether you’re skilled, player alignment or like, even specialists, a lot of them were top athletes across sports, in high school, growing up,"
Graham's biggest strengths bear out that multi-sport ability. Those include leverage, lateral quickness and strength against blockers.
In other words, the kind of traits one would expect to find in a high-level wrestler.
“Yeah, I feel like it’s benefited me a lot," Graham said. "I feel like wrestling teaches you mental and physical toughness as well, along with the stuff that comes with being a D-lineman, feeling leveraged, feeling body weight. You’re wrestling another big guy, and that’s basically what offensive and defensive linemen do all game. So, I feel like it really translates.”
A year ago, the Browns' first draft pick was Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. This year, they use it on a "Michigan Man," Graham.
Those two former rivals now form the young core of the the Browns' defensive tackle group. Although Graham didn't have to deal with Hall directly while the two were both in the school in 2022-23, he's aware of his new teammate.
“I’ve seen a lot of his stuff the past few years, especially playing them," Graham said. "I feel like he’s a really good player. He moves really well. We can both work really well on the front and get into this attack defense and cause some disruption.”
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: Will the Browns take Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft 2nd round?
Continue reading...
They also didn't come out of the first round with a quarterback, either. They selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham with the No. 5 pick they received from the Jaguars, then stood pat as the rest of the round played out.
The Browns watched as two quarterbacks went off the board. One was completely out of their control (Cam Ward to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1) and one they could've possibly controlled (Jaxson Dart to the New York Giants, who traded up to No. 25 to get him).
The second round will start, however, with the Browns in complete control. It's not just that they own the first pick in the round, No. 33 overall, they now own two of the first four picks.
Do they come out with Hunter's teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders? Do they come out with any quarterback?
Or, were the Browns saying the quiet part out loud? That they don't particularly like any quarterback — even the son of Deion Sanders — in this year's class enough to overextend draft capital when the long-term answer may be waiting in 2026.
“Yeah, I think that’s a possibility," general manager Andrew Berry said. "But I also say that we’re pretty early in the weekend, so I don’t know how the rest of the draft is going to unfold. There’s talent across positions, including the quarterback position, and we just really have to see kind of how our next — I’m trying to remember how many picks we have — but next seven or eight picks, whatever it is, unfold throughout the weekend.”
There's certainly an argument to be made their opinion of the quarterbacks was set by the approach the Browns took with the No. 2 overall pick. Conventional NFL wisdom says if the quarterback is there, you take the quarterback because of the positional need.
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The Browns, instead, said there wasn't a quarterback they valued enough after Ward was gone to spend a Day 1 pick to get. Instead, they turned that pick, along with their fourth- and one of their sixth-round picks, into Graham, another second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and, most importantly, a 2026 first-round pick.
That first-round pick, mind you, will come in a draft where the quarterback choices are, at least at this time, could be better than this year's.
“I’d say it’s maybe tangentially related," Berry said of the 2026 quarterbacks impacting the decision to trade. "But even with that, quite frankly, you know, unless we were going to take a quarterback there, it’s a trade we probably would have done regardless.”
The Browns have four chances on the second day of the draft to address their glaring quarterback need. If the third round ends and that need still hasn't been answered, consider that the answer.
Here are a few other takeaways from the Browns' first day of the NFL draft:
Mason Graham, in a vacuum, fills a major need for Cleveland Browns
There's no question the Browns entered the draft needing defensive tackle help. Graham, certainly, delivers help to fill that need.
If the Browns had entered the draft holding the No. 5 overall pick and come away with Graham, the sales job wouldn't have been so big for the selection. The best defensive tackle entering the draft? You'd sign up for that outcome.
You must be registered for see images attach
The problem is that the Browns entered with the No. 2 pick, and a month's worth of many building up in their minds the idea of the exciting Hunter coming to Cleveland. Instead, he's heading to Jacksonville and the Browns are getting a player who, while filling a need, won't fill any of the needs for an offense that's floundering.
"The message would be too much different than what I talked about in my opening comments," Berry said. "Look, we’re always going to make the decisions that we think can maximize the team or give us the opportunity to maximize the team. And you know, we’re really excited for what we view as an elite trench prospect in Mason Graham and in addition to that to get another top-40 pick this year and a future one. You know, we think that’s something that’s really going to help improve our franchise.”
Andrew Berry found Mason Graham's sports versatility to be major plus
Graham was a five-sport athlete in high school, although football and wrestling were the two sports he played the most. He was a two-time wrestling All-American at Servite High School in Mission Viejo, Calf., along with his obvious football accomplishments.
"It’s something that we actually track," Berry said. "Like, we actually have a specific area in our scouting reports where we ask our area guys to document that. And, candidly, a lot of these players, whether you’re skilled, player alignment or like, even specialists, a lot of them were top athletes across sports, in high school, growing up,"
Graham's biggest strengths bear out that multi-sport ability. Those include leverage, lateral quickness and strength against blockers.
In other words, the kind of traits one would expect to find in a high-level wrestler.
“Yeah, I feel like it’s benefited me a lot," Graham said. "I feel like wrestling teaches you mental and physical toughness as well, along with the stuff that comes with being a D-lineman, feeling leveraged, feeling body weight. You’re wrestling another big guy, and that’s basically what offensive and defensive linemen do all game. So, I feel like it really translates.”
Mason Graham, Mike Hall Jr.: Archrivals teaming up to lift Cleveland Browns
A year ago, the Browns' first draft pick was Ohio State defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. This year, they use it on a "Michigan Man," Graham.
You must be registered for see images attach
Those two former rivals now form the young core of the the Browns' defensive tackle group. Although Graham didn't have to deal with Hall directly while the two were both in the school in 2022-23, he's aware of his new teammate.
“I’ve seen a lot of his stuff the past few years, especially playing them," Graham said. "I feel like he’s a really good player. He moves really well. We can both work really well on the front and get into this attack defense and cause some disruption.”
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: Will the Browns take Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL draft 2nd round?
Continue reading...
