The Cleveland Browns shocked some fans and draft watchers by selecting Dillon Gabriel with their 94th overall pick. Gabriel hadn't been atop any analyst's draft board for quarterbacks available in the draft, but the Browns seemed to have him high on theirs. So, they were able to snag him before Day 3.
However, the team wasn't done adding quarterbacks to their room. They then used their 144th overall pick to take Shedeur Sanders to close out their draft, trading up to select him. He was the best player available to them at that spot, they didn't expect him to still be available, and they felt that quarterback was the one position they could overload at considering how thin the position was for them last year.
All pretty valid thinking. And, in Yahoo Sports' latest writeup from Jori Epstein, the decision makes even more sense when compared to the most recent example of how drafting two quarterbacks in one year can end up sharpening iron, so to speak: the New England Patriots' 2024 draft where they took both Drake Maye and Joe Milton III.
Browns earn perfect comparison to Patriots' 2023 quarterback game plan
In Epstein's writeup, which you can read here, she attempts to make heads or tails of the Browns' strategy to take two quarterbacks in this year's draft. In this piece, Epstein draws a perfect line between this strategy and the Patriots' from 2024, when they decided to take Maye and Milton to add competition to the quarterback room.
"Maye proved he could be a quality starter in 12 opportunities to start as a rookie, while Milton exceeded expectations in his lone game: a 241-yard performance that featured a 48-yard touchdown pass. So this offseason, as the Patriots strategized their roster building under new head coach Mike Vrabel, they made a decision: Maye is their unquestioned starter and Milton’s best value to the team was as a trade asset," wrote Epstein.
Read more: Browns just can't get out of their own way with Shedeur Sanders selection
She added that, while not every dual quarterback game plan is going to be as fruitful as the Patriots' - they were able to get a higher Day 3 pick in exchange for Milton from the Dallas Cowboys - it's worth exploring it as an option, just as the Browns are doing.
Why not see if either Sanders or Gabriel becomes a bonafide starter, while leveraging the odd man out for trade capital after the season is wrapped? While Epstein predicts that Pickett will eventually win the starting role for Cleveland, Sanders and Gabriel are going to likely throw a wrench into his confidence headed into training camp.
He just went from only battling a 40 year old Joe Flacco to now taking on two hungry rookies seeking to stick with a roster.