Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns made some eyebrow-raising moves during the draft. After trading out of the second spot to move down to the fifth, the Browns made an even more puzzling choice by drafting quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round. To make matters more confusing, they later selected Sanders in the fifth round, raising questions about their quarterback strategy. It was certainly an odd sequence of moves that left many scratching their heads.
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t resist offering some hilarious and playful jabs at the Browns' questionable draft decisions on his podcast Footbahlin. Roethlisberger, known for his rivalry with Cleveland, poked fun at the moves with his usual humor, making light of the Browns' decision-making process.
"I don’t know, well, it’s just the Browns, it’s what they do," Roethlisberger said. "They drafted Gabriel and I thought, 'Ok, good quarterback, no problem with that.' Then they drafted Sanders, and I was like, 'I am so confused about what they are doing.'"
His reaction to the Browns' draft blunders will likely quickly become a hit among Steelers fans, who enjoyed the playful back-and-forth with their division rivals.
Roethlisberger further joked that this is precisely why he’s not the owner or general manager of the Browns, but then quickly laughed, adding that he essentially is due to how dominant his Steelers were against Cleveland.
"That’s why I am not in the ownership, well I am the Owner of the Browns, but not like the GM business with them," Roethlisberger said. "Maybe it was for trade capital, or I don’t even know what is going on."
The Browns' draft began with a somewhat shrewd move, trading out of the second overall spot to slide back to number five, where they could select the player they wanted while also gaining valuable draft capital. However, the real issue came when they drafted two running backs and two quarterbacks—an unusual approach to these positions in the draft.
The running back selections make some sense, as this class was widely regarded as one of the most talented, with many pundits believing several players were NFL-ready. However, the quarterback class was weak, to say the least, and considered questionable at best. That’s why their decision to take Gabriel early—likely an overdraft with the player still available later—raised eyebrows, especially when they followed it up by selecting Sanders two rounds later. The whole strategy seemed questionable.
Steelers Clearly Didn't Want Shedeur Sanders
Leading up to the draft, national media pundits and personalities were convinced that Pittsburgh was much higher on Sanders than they actually were. The Steelers had several opportunities to pick him at favorable spots, but instead, they opted for other players. In the end, they selected Howard in the sixth round. It’s intriguing to imagine what Pittsburgh might have done if it had come down to a choice between Sanders and Howard—especially had the Browns not taken Sanders.
In the eyes of many, the Steelers played the draft board well. They secured a developmental quarterback in Howard, addressed key needs, and found great value throughout the process. It’s also pretty entertaining to hear Roethlisberger’s thoughts on how the Browns approached their draft.
