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Mel Kiper Jr. Reveals His Honest Opinion on Browns' Controversial Draft Class
Mel Kiper Jr. Reveals His Honest Opinion on Browns' Controversial Draft Class originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Hours before the draft and in the weeks that have followed, the Cleveland Browns have captured quite a bit of the NFL Draft conversation. They made the biggest move around the draft board and came away with the class' most polarizing prospect, following a stunning three day wait.
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Overall, the Browns certainly checked the boxes in terms of their pre-draft needs. Cleveland traded back from No. 2 overall, securing significant draft capital from the Jacksonville Jaguars while still landing a top-10 prospect in Mason Graham.
They needed a quarterback and instead came away with two, drafting both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. That bold strategy generated the most buzz, especially being the team that ended Sanders' slide into the fifth round.
However, that was one of the driving forces behind Mel Kiper Jr.'s decision to give their draft haul an A+. Before analyzing that grade, let's add some necessary context.
Kiper spent almost the entirety of ESPN's on-air draft coverage yelling at the sun for answers as to why teams seemingly had no interest in Sanders, his No. 5 overall prospect. The Browns drafted two quarterbacks, but Sanders was the second after they took Dillon Gabriel in Round 3.
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Now the motives behind having five quarterbacks on the depth chart are certainly questionable, but that is a separate conversation that takes away from the validity of this grade. So how accurate is this A+ from ESPN's draft guru?
Stepping back from the quarterbacks, Cleveland's ability to land a future first just by moving three spots back turned into an excellent play. Graham will impact the Browns' defensive interior immediately next to Myles Garrett.
Then in two separate rounds the Browns nailed down contingency plans for key starters both offensively and defensively. Starting on the defensive side, they used pick No. 33 to grab UCLA linebacker Carsons Schwesinger. Given Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's uncertainty this season with a neck injury, the rookie may be thrown into the fire early on.
Offensively, the Browns added Harold Fannin Jr., a standout tight end who could develop into a player capable of holding down the No. 1 spot on the depth chart given his outstanding production at Bowling Green. With David Njoku set to hit free agency next offseason, they now have a complement for a season and a potential replacement.
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Cleveland also did a fine job identifying some backfield pieces in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson who both stood out at their respective programs. Behind Jerome Ford, there is a real competition for reps in this offense.
Altogether, those makeup a really solid class. But the decision to double dip on quarterbacks still seems unnecessary. Sure Sanders and Gabriel will compete for their share, but more likely than not the veterans on roster, especially Joe Flacco, will outclass them through training camp and into the season.
One of those picks could have been used elsewhere, namely at wide receiver where they came away from the draft with nothing.
In totality, that one gripe does not define this group and without a letter grade, the Browns clearly had one of the best weekends of the 32 teams in the league. But an A+ might be a bit of selfish wish casting on the part of Kiper Jr.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
