Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns made their first, and likely only, national television appearance on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in London as part of the NFL’s international series of games.
While the Browns came out on the losing end of the scoreboard, the game provided a national audience with a glimpse of what is becoming a promising rookie class in Cleveland.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. picked up his first touchdown catch of the season, wide receiver Isaiah Bond had a nice 22-yard reception, linebacker Carson Schwesinger had a game-high 12 tackles, and kicker Andre Szmyt was perfect on all three of his kicks.
Three players stood out above the rest, starting with running back Quinshon Judkins and defensive tackle Adin Huntington, who both earned spots on Pro Football Focus’ Rookie Team for Week 5.
Judkins rushed 23 times for 110 yards, his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, and added one reception for 18 yards. He lost out on an additional 56 rushing yards and a touchdown when he had a run called back by a holding penalty, but Judkins still became the first player in franchise history to have at least 70 total yards from scrimmage in each of his first four career games.
PFF highlighted Judkins’ progress, but also pointed out he is lacking in one important area:
Judkins has been consistently steady for the Browns to open his career, being reliable as both a runner and a pass-catcher. His Week 5 performance overseas against the Vikings was his strongest, recording a 73.7 PFF receiving grade and a 75.7 PFF rushing grade. Judkins was the workhorse for the Browns’ rushing attack, carrying the ball 26 times for 176 yards and forcing three missed tackles while adding an 18-yard reception to his total. His pass protection is certainly work-in-progress, though, as he carried a 26.5 grade on six pass-blocking snaps.
Huntington was only on the field for 16 defensive snaps against the Vikings, his lowest total since Week 2, but he still picked up his third PFF weekly honor of the season:
Huntington is the only undrafted rookie to make this list multiple times, and he received his third entry in five games — making him a highlight on what has been a strong Browns defense. While this week’s showing wasn’t as strong as his other two appearances on his list (both featured grades over 85.0), Huntington’s impact was still felt against the Vikings. He posted a 61.6 PFF pass-rush grade on a 10% pass-rush win rate while also recording a 62.7 PFF run-defense grade, with a third of those snaps being positively graded.
The big story coming into the game was the first NFL start for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who finished the game 19-of-33 for 190 yards and two touchdown passes.
Gabriel did some nice things, including the touchdown passes to Fannin and tight end David Njoku, and he did not turn the ball over, making it the first game this season without a...
