Dillon Gabriel makes feelings known on Browns drafting Shedeur Sanders in 2025 NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns surprised many people by picking both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Most teams don't select two quarterbacks in the same draft unless they are unsure about their future at that position.

On Friday, NFL reporter Andrew Siciliano shared on X that Gabriel is happy about the Browns picking Sanders.

Gabriel said, "I love it," and added that he likes it because of "who it is" and welcomes the competition.

In April's draft, the Browns selected Gabriel in the third round (94th pick). Sanders was picked later in the fifth round (144th pick), which was a surprise since many thought he would go much earlier.

Some experts say Sanders dropped because of weak pre-draft workouts and interviews. Reports also claimed he didn't give his best in interviews with teams he didn't want to join. The Browns took him as a low-risk, high-potential pick, but they chose Gabriel first because they felt he was more ready to play in the NFL.

Sanders has looked better than Gabriel in the rookie minicamp, showing good accuracy and calmness. Gabriel is now under pressure to prove himself, even though he was picked earlier.

The Browns now have five quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Watson is expected to miss the entire season due to an Achilles injury.

Flacco could likely be the Week 1 starter. He led the Browns to the playoffs in 2023.

Pickett was acquired from the Eagles but won't have his fifth-year option exercised.

It will be interesting to see if Sanders can pass Gabriel and earn a bigger role on the team.

Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel share practice time

The Cleveland Browns’ rookie minicamp kicked off on Friday with two young quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

Per Fox Sports, Sanders wore jersey number 12 and shared the field equally with Gabriel during a 90-minute practice session.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said both quarterbacks did well and emphasized that the team isn't rushing to choose a favorite.

"I think the fun part is we’ve spent so much pre-draft time with these players, particularly when we’re talking about our quarterbacks with Dillon and Shedeur," he said.

"We’ve spent meeting time with them out of this building. We’ve taken them through walk-throughs, and then they get to go do it in uniform with the helmets on and just see what they can take from the meeting room to the grass."

To make the most of practice time, the Browns invited extra wide receivers and tight ends so Sanders and Gabriel could have more chances to throw during drills. Each quarterback took part in one-on-one work, 7-on-7 drills and full-team 11-on-11 plays.

Gabriel took the first snaps, likely because he was drafted earlier, but Stefanski said the order didn’t mean much.