BEREA, Ohio -- One year after fielding one of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns have undergone a full-blown youth movement. The Browns' roster features 14 rookies, including seven members of their 2025 draft class, everyone from defensive tackle Mason Graham to quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Cleveland is getting big contributions from its first-year players; Browns rookies have combined to play 3,210 snaps this season. The next-closest team, the New England Patriots, has received 2,888 snaps from its rookies.
The vast production hasn't translated to wins. Cleveland is off to a 2-7 start for the second consecutive season and is staring down another top-five pick. However, the rookie class is laying the foundation for what general manager Andrew Berry called a "strategic pivot" in the offseason.
"It'll be nice in a few years when all those rookies develop and you have a nice core," Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said.
Here's a look at how each member of the Browns' 2025 draft class is performing:
Jump to a 2025 drafted rookie:
Mason Graham | Carson Schwesinger
Quinshon Judkins | Harold Fannin Jr.
Dillon Gabriel | Dylan Sampson
Shedeur Sanders
Mason Graham, DT, No. 5 pick:
2025 stats: 9 games played (9 starts), 20 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed
How his rookie season is going: When the Browns traded back from the No. 2 pick, they were excited to not only acquire a second first-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars but also get Graham, whom Berry called a "DNA match" for Cleveland's defense and "one of the more dominant trench prospects in this year's class."
It took some time for Graham to adjust to Cleveland's penetrating scheme, but he has shown increasing comfort through nine games. Graham ranks fourth among all rookies in run stop percentage (3.9%). His success as a pass rusher hasn't shown in the box score yet, but the Michigan product has been winning his matchups; Graham ranks first among rookies and 10th among 57 qualifying players in ESPN's pass rush win rate as an interior defender (10.9%).
What they're saying: "Sacks come in bunches and I know his are going to start coming soon because he is winning, getting pressure." -- defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire
Carson Schwesinger, LB, No. 33 pick
2025 stats: 9 games (9 starts), 74 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed
How his rookie season is going: The Browns opened training camp with a hole at inside linebacker. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was ruled out for the season because of a lingering neck injury, and Jordan Hicks announced his retirement a week into camp. Schwesinger, though, has filled the void with aplomb.
From day one, Cleveland put Schwesinger at the center of its defense as the unit's signal-caller. The former UCLA walk-on has handled the responsibility with few hiccups and has perpetually been around the ball to limit big plays.
Now the favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Schwesinger leads all rookies in tackles and tackles for loss on a defense that is allowing the second-fewest yards per game in the league. Schwesinger's latest performance against the New York Jets (10 tackles, season-high two tackles for loss) came two weeks after he suffered a high ankle sprain and used the Week 9 bye to get healthy enough to play.
What they're saying: "He has Wolverine blood. ... I have not looked around the league at how other guys are playing and that type of thing, but I'd be hard-pressed to believe there's a defensive player as a rookie that's playing better than him." -- coach Kevin Stefanski
Quinshon Judkins, RB, No. 36 pick
2025 stats: 8 games (8 starts), 140 carries, 561 yards (4.0 yards per carry), 5 touchdowns; 14 receptions, 70 yards
How his rookie season is going: Judkins missed all of training camp and the season opener because of a legal matter; he had remained unsigned until Sept. 6 following an arrest on a misdemeanor domestic violence and battery charge in July that South Florida prosecutors declined to formally pursue.
The Browns didn't waste any time reintroducing him into the offense. He led Cleveland in carries in his Week 2 debut and logged over half the offensive snaps by the following game. The Browns have struggled on offense but have found a bit of an identity behind the tough running of Judkins, who leads all rookies in rushing yards.
What they're saying: "He's a volume runner. He gets better with touches." -- Stefanski
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, No. 67 pick
2025 stats: 9 games (7 starts), 42 receptions, 396 yards, 2 touchdowns; 3 carries, 6 yards
How his rookie season is going: Berry called Fannin the "queen on the chessboard" when the Browns selected him in the third round, and Cleveland has leaned into the Bowling Green standout's versatility. Fannin has logged snaps out wide, at tight end, in the slot and in the backfield, and he has even taken a direct snap in a Wildcat formation. He leads the Browns in catches and receiving yards and has the most receptions by a Cleveland rookie through 10 games.
What they're saying: "I think the sky is the limit for him, and it'll go as far as he wants to take it. I think the game will open itself up to him. The game will show him the opportunities he can take advantage of, and it's truly on him to embrace the roles, embrace what we're asking him to do." -- tight ends coach Christian Jones
Dillon Gabriel, QB, No. 94 pick
2025 stats: 7 games (5 starts), 58.6% completion rate (102-of-174), 869 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; 12 carries, 84 yards
How his rookie season is going: The Browns used a third-round pick to draft the six-year college player because of his experience in multiple schemes. Gabriel received a hefty amount of first-team reps in training camp and was named the No. 2 QB to open the season, and Cleveland turned to him as the starter in Week 5 after veteran Joe Flacco struggled. The supporting cast, from linemen to pass catchers, has not helped, and Gabriel has faced similar troubles in his five starts. Gabriel ranks 32nd out of 33 qualifying passers in QBR (32.5), last in yards per attempt (5.0), 32nd in air yards per attempt (5.8) and is tied for the fifth-highest rate of off-target passes (17.9%) in the league.
The Browns are 1-4 with Gabriel as the starter, but Stefanski said after Cleveland's 27-20 Week 10 loss to the Jets that he is sticking with him at QB.
What they're saying: "I think with young quarterbacks, it's an understanding that there's going to be ups and downs. Can Dillon play better? Yes, he can. Can we play better around him? Yes, we can. Can we coach him better? Yes, we can. ... I just trust that our young players at every position, and certainly at the quarterback position, are guys that are going to work their tails off to get better every single day." -- Stefanski
Dylan Sampson, RB, No. 126 pick
2025 stats: 9 games (1 start), 30 carries, 47 yards; 21 receptions, 136 yards, 1 touchdown
How his rookie season is going: With Judkins out for the season opener, Sampson played 33 snaps on offense and caught eight passes. Since Judkins' return, Sampson has effectively been RB3 behind Jerome Ford, contributing as a pass-catching back. Sampson has also returned kicks.
What they're saying: "Dylan's done everything we've asked. We trust him. We know what he can do for us. Again, that would fall under my lens of, 'Let's get our best guys in certain spots.' We certainly feel like Dylan can do some stuff to help us." -- offensive coordinator Tommy Rees
Shedeur Sanders, QB, No. 144 pick
2025 stats: zero games played
How his rookie season is going: Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders, landed in Cleveland as a fifth-round pick after falling to Day 3 of the draft. In training camp, he was QB4 on the depth chart -- behind Flacco, Gabriel and Kenny Pickett -- and did not receive a single practice rep with the starting offense.
Sanders, though, impressed as he started in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. He then missed the second preseason game because of an oblique injury and struggled in the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
Sanders made the 53-man roster along with Flacco and Gabriel, but he was inactive for the first five games of the season as the emergency QB. He moved into the backup role after the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7. He has served as QB2 in all but one game since then (he was inactive in Week 8 because of a back injury). Stefanski said Sanders isn't getting practice reps with the starting offense like Gabriel did when Flacco was QB1, but he has been getting reps in alternative ways, such as scout-team snaps and walk-throughs.
Gabriel's struggles have led to increasing questions about when Sanders will play; owner Jimmy Haslam has said it is "absolutely" important to evaluate both rookie quarterbacks on the field. But Stefanski said on Monday that "I don't think it's fair to speculate" on a timetable to play Sanders with eight games remaining.
What they're saying: "For Shedeur, we're looking for constant improvement throughout the season, and he's done that. I mean, I think you see the growth, and the familiarity of the offense and what we're asking of those guys. I think the level of preparation it takes week to week, when you're putting a new game plan together, that's a learning curve for all rookies.
"So, I think he's gotten more used to that, gotten up to speed, doing a nice job in his preparation and understanding what the game plan holds. And then when he's had his opportunities to go operate it, he's done a nice job. So again, all of our rookies, we're playing a lot of them, right? We're trying to continue them on an upward trend and see how much they can handle and how to improve them, and he fits in with the rest of the group that way." -- Rees