Browns' Dillon Gabriel draft pick looks even worse compared to these 3 players right next to him originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Browns surprised a lot of people when they drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sure, it looked even weirder when they drafted a second QB, Shedeur Sanders, a couple rounds later. But even at the time, it was a shock. Gabriel was viewed as a late-round quarterback, and instead he was the No. 94 overall pick.
If Browns fans were hoping to somehow feel better about that a year later, this won't do that. The player taken directly in front of Gabriel, and then the two right after him, all had productive rookie seasons and appear to have solid futures ahead of them.
Pro Football Reference has a stat called 'Weighted Average Value,' and without getting too deep into it, its essentially one way of assigning value to each player chosen in a draft class. As a Browns comparison, Harold Fannin had a 5 wAV as a rookie, while Gabriel had a 0.
MORE: Shedeur Sanders sets the bar for NFL Draft craziness
The player chosen directly before Gabriel, and the two after him, had a 7 in wAV for the 2025 season. They were the three-best selections, by that metric, in the entire 2025 third round.
The Browns couldn't have gotten safety Jonas Sanker, who went to the Saints right in front of Gabriel.
But then right behind him? Jared Wilson was chosen by the Patriots, and he started on their offensive line all the way to the Super Bowl.
And then after Wilson was safety Xavier Watts, who was a playmaker for the Atlanta Falcons.
Clearly, not every draft board is the same. The Browns may not have even liked those players.
But they're already making the Gabriel pick age even more poorly than it would've if they had picked him in the middle of a bunch of other bums.
The Browns will want to avoid making any mistakes like that in this year's draft.
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