Jeremy Fowler: Browns 'loved' Dillon Gabriel, 'surprised' pursuit didn't get more publicity

As rumors swirled around whether the Cleveland Browns had interest in Shedeur Sanders ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the franchise apparently had its eyes elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Cleveland sneakily pursued Dillon Gabriel before selecting him in the third round.

The Browns passed on Sanders amid his slide down the board and took the experienced Gabriel with the No. 94 overall pick. He began his college career at UCF before shining at Oklahoma and, finally, at Oregon. Gabriel holds the NCAA’s all-time passing touchdown record with 155 across his six years of college football.

In fact, as the pre-draft process went along, the Browns were “so surprised” their pursuit of Gabriel didn’t get more attention, Fowler said. That shows what the franchise thinks of him – and he added Sanders likely has to beat Gabriel out in a crowded quarterback room.

"The Browns also look at quarterbacks, like all positions, like currency, like value. They can trade one of these guys in August."@JFowlerESPN on the possibilities of the Browns' quarterback room 👀 pic.twitter.com/y3hnmUmP8Q

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“They’re going to give Sanders every chance because the word around the league was he had a tough time in some of these interviews with other teams,” Fowler said Friday on NFL Live. “That was not the Browns’ experience. They felt good about him. They felt like he was a good person, that he’s accurate on the field. There’s some things to like.

“But he has to beat out Dillon Gabriel, because they were so surprised that the Gabriel dynamic and their courtship of him in pre-draft didn’t get more publicity by the media. They, like, lowkey loved him for months and nobody knew it, and they drafted him two rounds earlier. So he’s got to beat him out.”

The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round and took Sanders at No. 155 overall in the fifth round to stop his surprising slide down the board. Those selections came after multiple moves at quarterback following Deshaun Watson’s injury.

Joe Flacco signed a one-year contract, and Cleveland acquired Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. With two rookies now looking to win a spot on the roster, it’s shaping up to be an even more interesting offseason at QB for the Browns. In fact, Fowler pointed out a trade could be in the cards, depending on how the preseason goes.

“The Browns got these four quarterbacks,” Fowler said. “They’re going to roll with that for the next two to three months to see how it shakes out. Shedeur Sanders will have every opportunity to make his impression and to make this team. The Browns also look at quarterbacks – like all positions – like currency, like value. They can trade one of these guys in August if they play well in the preseason.”