The Athletic has live coverage of the second and third rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Read more of The Athletic’s coverage from the 2025 NFL Draft: Best Players Available | Round 1 Grades | Rounds 2 & 3 Grades | Round 1 Winners & Losers
The Cleveland Browns enter the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday with eight picks over the three-day event.
They traded two sixth-rounders (Nos. 179, 216) and a seventh-rounder (No. 255) to the Houston Texans for a fifth-round selection (No. 166) hours before the draft began. Then, after Miami quarterback Cam Ward was selected by the Tennessee Titans No. 1 overall, the Browns pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, swapping first-round picks this year and gaining a 2025 second-rounder as well as a 2026 first-rounder.
With that No. 5 selection, Cleveland selected Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham to further bolster its defensive front. Graham should help fill the void in the middle of the defense while Myles Garrett continues to rush the passer off the edge.
Keep coming back here throughout the draft for grades and analysis of each Browns pick.
Round 1
No. 5: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
How he fits
This was a terrific trade-back for Cleveland. There isn’t another team in the NFL that needs more draft assets (now and later) than the Browns. Next year’s quarterback class will be better than what we’ve seen this year, and while the Browns could still address the position later, it allows them to attack in 2026 if need be.
To turn one pick into more, and walk away with arguably the best defensive lineman in this class in Graham — outstanding work by general manager Andrew Berry and company. The Browns were honest and have given themselves a chance to climb out of the Deshaun Watson rubble in a way that won’t likely take forever. — Nick Baumgardner
Dane Brugler’s analysis
A two-year starter at Michigan, Graham was a three-technique defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s four-man front (76.6 percent of his career snaps came over the B-gap). Although his backfield production doesn’t jump off the stat sheet, Graham was arguably the most valuable defensive player on the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship team and played even better (with lesser talent around him) in 2024.
Graham naturally plays from a low position to consistently win leverage through contact — he credits his athletic twitch and understanding of angles to his championship-level wrestling background. He needs to develop his efficiency versus double teams, but he violently sheds single blocks and plays the piano up and down the line with his outstanding chase effort. Overall, Graham is a leverage monster and skillfully destroys blocks with his strength, quickness, motor and play recognition to make an impact versus both pass and run. He projects as a versatile interior presence with the floor of an NFL starter.
Zac Jackson’s analysis
Browns draft DT Mason Graham: How he fits, draft grade and scouting intel
Grade: A
A powerful interior defender, Graham was the heartbeat of Michigan’s defense and one of the most difficult individual matchups in college football. In Cleveland’s 4-3 defense, he’s a perfect fit alongside Garrett and should instantly help a mediocre run defense. It was a smart selection by Cleveland not to press for need and instead go with the best player available.
Graham (6-foot-3 1/2, 306 pounds) was a consensus first-team All-American with 3 1/2 sacks and seven tackles for loss in 2024, but he did so much more than just compile stats. Graham consistently won snaps with low and powerful jolts combined with rare lateral quickness. He was the Rose Bowl MVP in a College Football Playoff semifinal and guided Michigan to the national title. He’s also tough, demonstrated by missing only two games after surgery on his thumb during the 2023 season. — Scott Dochterman
Round 2
No. 33: Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA
How he fits
The Browns are throwing their best punch on defense in teaming Schwesinger with first-round defensive tackle Mason Graham. Cleveland snagged some toughness with this pick. Schwesinger (6-foot-3, 242 pounds) began his career as a walk-on and finished it as one of the Big Ten’s most respected defenders.
Whether it was his humble roots or natural personality, Schwesinger developed into a relentless pursuer at UCLA. He had 136 tackles last year and has elite instincts and character. — Dochterman
Brugler’s analysis
A one-year starter at UCLA, Schwesinger was the Mike linebacker in defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s 3-3-5 base scheme, lining up mostly stacked and playing on all sub-packages (58.8 defensive snaps per game). The former walk-on was a special teams ace his first three seasons with the Bruins before emerging as an All-American in 2024 and producing an FBS-best 90 solo tackles (his 7.5 solo tackles per game are the most in the FBS since 2020).
Jackson’s analysis
Browns draft LB Carson Schwesinger: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
Grade: A-minus
No. 36 (via Jaguars): Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
How he fits
This certainly fills a need, and Judkins won’t have to travel far from Columbus to start his career with the Browns. A much better gap runner than teammate TreVeyon Henderson, Judkins is a physical hammer with great burst and vision between the tackles. I prefer Henderson, who is more of a three-down weapon in my mind, to Judkins, but it’s awfully close, as both players are very good. — Baumgardner
Brugler’s analysis
A one-year starter at Ohio State, Judkins shared running back duties in former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s diverse run game (gap/zone, pin-pulls, counters, etc.). He had one of the best two-year rushing stretches in SEC history while at Ole Miss. He then transferred to Columbus, Ohio, for the 2024 season and surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight year. He joined Ohio State because he wanted to win a national title, and he helped pay off that goal with three touchdowns in a championship-game victory over Notre Dame.
Jackson’s analysis
Browns draft RB Quinshon Judkins: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
Fantasy impact
More fantasy excitement! We’ve seen Jerome Ford provide RB2 numbers as the lead in Cleveland, and now Judkins steps in as a likely bell cow for the Browns. Drawing my smashup comparison to Jordan Mason meets Brian Robinson Jr., Judkins can handle a heavy workload and be a top-end RB2 as a rookie. Additionally, he is a mid-first-round pick in rookie drafts thanks to this landing spot. — Jake Ciely
Grade: B-plus
Round 3
No. 67: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green
How he fits
One of the most productive pass-catching tight ends in NCAA history, Fannin (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) hauled in 117 balls for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns last year for Bowling Green. He was equally as productive against power-conference teams as he was against MAC competition. At Penn State, Fannin grabbed 11 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown and followed up at Texas A&M with eight catches for 145 yards and a score. As an off-line tight end, Fannin makes for a nice combination with David Njoku. — Dochterman
Brugler’s analysis
With his strong hands and urgent athleticism, Fannin is at his best as a pass catcher and shows a unique feel for creating as a ball carrier. He is still very young — and it shows, especially in his blocking and route running. Overall, Fannin is somewhat of an unconventional prospect. He is awkwardly athletic with stiff, restricting movements, but he plays with straight-line explosiveness, outstanding tracking skills and threatening run-after-catch ability. He fits best as a hybrid H or F tight end and offers three-down potential.
Fantasy impact
Fannin is a stud with some eyebrow-raising numbers, but for fantasy, he unfortunately falls into a “wait for Year 2” spot. Njoku is the clear choice … for now, as he’s a free agent in 2026. That allows Fannin to learn and adapt to the NFL, which he can do in time for his second season. Fannin’s route work, hands and ability to get open — even deep — brings peak Jared Cook-like appeal. That means Fannin can be a TE1, and a top 10 yearly finish is in play. — Ciely
Grade: B-plus
No. 94 (via Bills): Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon
How he fits
At this point, it’s pretty impossible to ignore the fact that organizations are concerned about all the attention Shedeur Sanders will bring to a team in a backup QB situation. Gabriel was a productive college player, but this one is a real stretch for me. Sanders was a better player than Gabriel in college, and I’m not sure it was particularly close. Sanders will have a chance to earn a starting job at some point in his career. I don’t know if Gabriel, a 5-foot-11 quarterback with middling arm strength, will ever be a full-time starter. — Baumgardner
Brugler’s analysis
A point guard-style quarterback, Gabriel is willing to scan from the pocket and deliver accurate balls with a twitchy release, although he is often too willing to bypass tight windows and settle for the checkdown. He isn’t an electric athlete by any means, but he is very poised and confident and plays with exceptional feel for navigating pressure to create second-chance plays. Overall, Gabriel looks small in the pocket and has some limitations as a downfield thrower, but he is a rhythm passer with the football instincts and mature intangibles to overcome his physical shortcomings. A savvy lefty with a quick release, he has similarities to Tua Tagovailoa — and has a fighting chance to earn a backup role in the NFL.
Jackson’s analysis
Browns draft QB Dillon Gabriel: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
Fantasy impact
Forget the Sanders shock, if you can, Gabriel also has rushing upside, but he can rifle passes and lacks touch similar to Colin Kaepernick. Gabriel is a bit older prospect-wise, too, but once again, rushing upside will trump plenty in fantasy, and Gabriel is worthy of being a Round 3 dynasty pick and even Round 2 gamble in SuperFlex. Like Jalen Milroe, though, the risk is him never becoming an NFL starter, so if you’re solid at QB, you can look elsewhere.
Grade: C-minus
Round 4
No. 126 (via Jaguars)
Round 5
No. 166 (from Bills, via Texans)
Round 6
No. 192 (from Dolphins, via Bears)
(Photo of Dillon Gabriel: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)