The Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel with the hope that one of the two can become the future of the franchise at the most important position in the NFL. However, neither one is guaranteed to pan out.
At Browns OTAs, Sanders is receiving positive reviews, but there’s a long way to go before the fifth-round pick cements himself as a starter.
“Everybody wants to see Shedeur, he’s been impressive,” The Athletic’s Zac Jackson said of Sanders on The Zach Gelb Show. “You talk to people in the building, they say he’s been impressive.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel is not doing so well. Jackson noted that the Oregon product does not look like an NFL quarterback, which doesn’t leave much hope for his future.
“Dillon Gabriel does not look like an NFL quarterback to me,” Jackson said to Gelb. “Like, 0%, so I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Along with Sanders and Gabriel, the Browns have Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, both of whom were acquired this offseason. But Flacco is 40 and Pickett has already failed as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
With the uncertainty surrounding their quarterbacks, it’s possible the Browns will be back in the quarterback market following the 2025 campaign and they could draft another.
If so, Pro Football and Sports Network’s Ian Cummings predicts the Browns will bail on both Sanders and Gabriel in favor of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Cummings compares the Clemson quarterback to Denver Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix.
“The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks — Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett — which essentially means they have none. Perhaps Sanders could emerge, but more likely than not, the Browns will be looking for a QB again, not far down the line,” Cummings wrote.
“At 6’2″, 205 pounds, Cade Klubnik represents a style of passer that’s ascending in recent years. Klubnik bears similarity to Bo Nix with his athleticism, arm elasticity, ‘point guard’ poise amid chaos, and creative freedom, and his processing and accuracy are on the way up.”
After taking over the starting job in 2023, Klubnik went on to have his best season in 2024. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,639 yards, rushed for 463 yards and scored 43 touchdowns (36 passing, seven rushing).
The Nix comparison is valid.
Klubnik possesses good arm strength and can make all the throws, but he also has plus-athleticism that allows him to escape pressure and extend plays, as well as make plays with his legs.
Klubnik is currently slated to be a first-round pick, but a lot can change in a year. If he can cement himself with another strong season, it’s very possible he ends up in Cleveland at or near the top of next year’s draft.
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