Dillon Gabriel has opportunity to put exclamation point on stellar Browns draft class

Dillon Gabriel is starting for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

The Browns made the decision to start Gabriel, their third-round rookie quarterback, as veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has struggled through the first four weeks of the season.

Gabriel has an opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been a stellar rookie draft class from Browns general manager Andrew Berry.

On draft night, Berry pulled off a controversial trade down – passing on Colorado Heisman winner Travis Hunter for No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham. This allowed Berry to stock up on draft capital in the 2025 class as well as taking the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2026.

The Browns then aced both second round picks with linebacker Carson Schwesinger and running back Quinshon Judkins.

Throughout four weeks, Schwesinger’s odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year have surged as he has excelled wearing the green dot and commanding Jim Schwartz’s defense. Judkins is leading the way for all rookie running backs even though he missed all of training camp, the preseason and Week 1’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Third-round pick Harold Fannin Jr. has outperformed veteran tight end David Njoku in the passing game. While he has a lot of development to go, the Browns are deploying him in the same sets that the Kansas City Chiefs use Travis Kelce. Super encouraging.

Fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson has found the end zone this season despite Stefanski using four different options this season. Fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders remains the third quarterback on the depth chart. And while fans might not like that, he’s shown promise in the preseason and proved that he’s worth developing.

Even undrafted free agents are making splashes. Isaiah Bond is poised to be the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart after the Browns placed receivers Cedric Tillman and DeAndre Carter on the injury reserve. Flacco has been unable to find Bond down the field on numerous occasions, but he has been open.

Defensive tackle Adin Huntington has popped up out of nowhere, and the UDFA out of Tulane is contributing on both sides of the ball. Schwartz substitutes him in Cleveland’s deep defensive line rotations. Offensively, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been using him as a fullback to help Cleveland’s anemic offensive line.

So Gabriel has the opportunity to put a massive exclamation mark on this stellar draft class. Berry seemingly pulled all the right strings in April. Graham, Schwesinger, Judkins and Fannin all look like cornerstone pieces for the Browns moving forward.

If Gabriel plays well over these next 13 games, Berry’s outlook on Cleveland’s future becomes abundantly clear.