Dawgs By Nature
One of the biggest selling points for the Cleveland Browns during their head coach search is their great 2025 NFL draft class. The class is one of the main reasons that GM Andrew Berry survived when HC Kevin Stefanski was fired. That doesn’t mean Browns fans love the idea of Berry being retained, but Berry’s ability to get quality players and an extra first-round pick in 2026 is a big part of his resume.
Multiple Cleveland rookies made ESPN’s All-Rookie Team from a high-quality draft class. The Browns seven person 2025 NFL draft class was:
A load of starters, two quarterbacks who started a number of games, and a solid change-of-pace back. Despite all that, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has Cleveland’s rookie class ranked second behind the New Orleans Saints:
The Saints’ rookie class is headlined by second-round quarterback Tyler Shough, who ranked 21st with a 49.2 QBR in nine starts. That’s not quite “the Saints are set for years” territory, but Shough has certainly earned the right to come back and try to improve as the starter. (Just remember that he’s already 26 years old.)
Obviously valuing quarterbacks highly, Barnwell noted the Browns two quarterbacks struggling:
Usually, the teams that lead in total points by rookies are going to be led by a quarterback. That’s not the case here. Rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both came out with negative total points and terrible QBRs (31.3 for Gabriel, 19.0 for Sanders). Those would have been the bottom two ratings in the league if Gabriel and Sanders had enough pass attempts to qualify.
The Saints first pick was left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., followed by Shough and DT Vernon Broughton. Third-round pick S Jonas Sanker was a big part of the team’s improvement on the defensive side of the ball. New Orleans full class can be seen here in a screenshot from ESPN’s article:
Do you think the Browns had a better overall draft class than the Saints? Should the quarterback position have extra value in these types of rankings?
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