Here's a short list of who the Cleveland Browns could've targetted with their 94th overall pick in the NFL Draft:
Jalen Royals
Cameron Williams
Tory Horton
Elic Ayomanor
Charles Grant
Wide receivers and a tackles with promise in Williams and Grant, any of these players would have been a valuable addition to the Browns with their last 3rd round pick. As Day 2 came to a close, it was also clear that the Browns were seeming happy with passing on a quarterback to land more depth and more impact players on offense in order to build towards a better future for the team.
Of course, they just had to have a Browns moment, and general manager Andrew Berry had to have a whiff. For some strange reason, instead of landing on Shedeur Sanders at 94th overall, they skirted around him and went for the 5-9 Dillon Gabriel at that pick, instead.
Confusing only begins to describe this choice.
Gabriel wraps up Browns' (mostly good) Day 2
Gabriel was not seen as a better prospect than Sanders by any means. He's small, has short arms, and had struggled to establish himself as a genuine starting quarterback option in his career. Now, he's tossed into a scenario where he could genuinely compete for and be the best option for the starting role for the Browns in 2025. That's a terrifying thought.
Cleveland has more or less telegraphed that they didn't plan on really seeking out a rookie starter this offseason and in this draft. With their Gabriel pick, that's extremely obvious. He's used to playing in warm weather, universally underwhelmed analysts, and, again, was in no way a better prospect than Sanders.
Read more: Browns double down on Shedeur Sanders doubt with tremendous NFL Draft move
At the 94th pick, though, picking Sanders might've been hard to digest. He likely expects to be a starter in 2025, and Cleveland may have felt hard pressed to promise such a role to a Day 2 pick, regardless of his talent. It's a dumb reason, but it's at least one reason.
Losing out on Jalen Milroe prior to their 94th selection might've swayed Cleveland towards Gabriel, but it should've just swayed them to focus back in on taking impact players. Maybe they'll rectify avoiding one by adding on Day 3, but this Gabriel pick certainly soured the mood.