With Shedeur Sanders on board, the Browns earned a high mark from Mel Kiper for their work in the 2025 NFL draft.
The Cleveland Browns were quite busy during the 2025 NFL draft, and when all was said and done, they put together a strong body of work. In fact, according to Mel Kiper, he believes that the Browns had the best draft class of any team across the league, with two moves in particular catching the attention.
The first big move Cleveland made came right at the beginning of the draft, when the team traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Browns gave up their shot to draft Travis Hunter, they managed to land Mason Graham and a plethora of draft capital. With a rebuild looming, Kiper loves the value the team managed to secure in this deal.
“Cleveland traded back to No. 5 in a deal with the Jaguars. Hunter is the clear best player in the class in my eyes, but defensive tackle Mason Graham was third on my board,” Kiper wrote for ESPN. “But the Browns also added a lot of draft capital here, including a 2026 first-rounder. This is a massive part of why they earned my top grade. Jacksonville isn't exactly a playoff lock, so that could be a high pick next April.”
Mel Kiper also loves Browns decision to draft Shedeur Sanders
Of course, one move doesn't make a draft, and luckily for the Browns, there's one more addition they made during the draft that Kiper was a big fan of. That would be the team's decision to draft quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round. Sanders' slide down the board was unprecedented, and Kiper is very high on the former Colorado football quarterback, meaning he believes this was the best pick of the draft.
“The other main reason I gave the Browns an A+ shouldn't be a surprise. They got quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 to finish their seven-pick draft,” Kiper said. “He was my No. 5 overall prospect in the class and clear QB1 … I think he will be an outstanding pro QB, and I believe we will look back on this pick in a few years and question what the rest of the NFL was doing.”
Time will tell whether or not this draft class pans out for Cleveland, but it's clear they added some very talented players, while also setting themselves up to have another big outing at the 2026 NFL draft. If all goes according to plan, the Browns could have jump started their rebuild, especially if Sanders ends up turning into the team's quarterback of the future.
