Browns Share Strong Words for Shedeur Sanders After Passing on QB in NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns were among a handful of teams that analysts identified as a match for QB Shedeur Sanders ahead of the NFL draft, but the franchise clearly didn’t feel that way.

Cleveland waited until its fifth pick, which fell late in the third round at No. 94 overall, to select a QB. When the franchise finally did, it went with former Oregon signal caller Dillon Gabriel rather than Sanders, who went undrafted through the first two days of the proceedings and remains on the board heading into Round 4.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry fielded several questions about the controversial call to take Gabriel over Sanders when he and head coach Kevin Stefanski spoke with media members on Friday, April 25, following the conclusion of the third round.

“All I can say is this: The time that we spent with Shedeur and what he’s done throughout his college career is impressive. He’s an impressive young man. He’s a really good quarterback,” Berry said. “Sometimes, fit comes into play. And I’d also say this: there are four more rounds of the draft. Lastly, it’s less about where you get picked [than] what you do after you get picked. That’s really the most important thing. Getting to know him over the course of the spring, he has a ton of resolve, and I think he’s going to find himself in a really good spot.”

Browns Chose Dillon Gabriel Over Shedeur Sanders in 3rd Round of NFL Draft

As for Gabriel, he is a six-year veteran of college football and played stints with UCF (three years) and Oklahoma (two years) before landing with Oregon in 2024. He threw for more than 3,100 passing yards in five of his six seasons in college.

While serving as the Ducks QB, Gabriel amassed 3,857 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions on nearly 73% passing. Oregon went undefeated through the regular season, won the Big Ten Championship and earned a bye through the first round of the College Football Playoff before running into the buzzsaw that was the eventual champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Gabriel, who will turn 25 years old near the end of his rookie season, is undersized for the position at 5-feet, 11-inches tall and just 205 pounds.

Dillon Gabriel Will Compete With Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett for Browns’ Starting Job

However, both Berry and Stefanski were confident on Friday that he can hit the ground running and compete with Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett for the starting job from Day 1.

“We really felt strongly about Dillon throughout this process. I think he’s a really strong [and] really, really good prospect,” Berry said. “He was among the short list of players that we were considering well before the draft at this spot.”

“Obviously, there’s guys that have come before Dillon, [and] there are guys that will come after him that don’t have the … ‘ideal height.’ But [that] hasn’t held him back in his career,” Stefanski added. “He’s been that height for a long time. He finds a way to get it done. … There [are] quarterbacks [of] 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.”

Deshaun Watson also remains on Cleveland’s roster, though he is continuing to rehabilitate a twice-torn Achilles and it is unclear if, or when, he might be available in 2025.