The Cleveland Browns delivered the most puzzling of all the surprises in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only did they select Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round, a solid pick on its own, but they followed it up two rounds later to take Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 overall.
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A bullish approach to drafting quarterbacks would have made sense for a team that was thin at that position. But the Browns already had three on the roster: Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
So what exactly is the plan? That’s the question former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was asking as he tried to wrap his head around the move.
“It’s a very interesting pick,” he said on the latest edition of Footbahlin with Roethlisberger. “I guess you’ve got two guys that can compete — Gabriel and Shedeur — and battle it out, see who’s better, and maybe try and trade one.”
Roethlisberger, who spent nearly two decades under center in the AFC North, wasn’t dismissing Sanders and his fellow draftmate. He was simply questioning the logic, the math, even.
Five quarterbacks in one room — Flacco, Pickett, Watson, Gabriel, and now Sanders — don’t fit any known depth chart logic. So, naturally, he floated a theory.
“Are they going to put Shedeur on the practice squad? Maybe it’s a practice squad thing — just see what he’s got, see what he can do,” said Roethlisberger.
To be clear, the Steelers legend wasn’t taking a dig at Shedeur. Roethlisberger didn’t criticize Sanders’ game but questioned the Browns for their timing. He didn’t think adding the former Buffs star was wrong, but he felt it was strange that they did it right after drafting another QB.
“It’s one of the most mind-boggling things that I’ve seen in a while,” the NFL legend said. “It just feels like they were doing it as a favor — for I don’t know who or why,” wondered Roethlisberger.
It’s worth noting that Sanders’ draft slide was already a hot topic, with many feeling that he dropped too far. Some pointed to his Combine interviews and team dynamics as reasons. But Roethlisberger’s confusion wasn’t about that — it was about stacking QBs from the same class in a crowded room.
“Even if they had four other quarterbacks and Shedeur came as the fifth — like four veterans or undrafted guys — I’d be like: ‘Okay, they just want to see what he can do,’” he explained.
“But I don’t understand why you’re adding a guy in the same draft at the same position. That’s what doesn’t make sense to me,” he added.
The Browns see something in both Gabriel and Sanders that convinced the franchise to draft them together. But with only one ball and limited reps, Kevin Stefanski’s camp could witness a live quarterback drama in the coming season.
