There has been a lot of talk about the Cleveland Browns doubling up at a certain offensive position in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the one everyone should be talking about is getting ignored.
Great, the Browns took both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Sanders is probably going to end up being the best QB on this Browns roster. Let's talk about the running back position. If the Browns are going to have success as a team this coming season, it's going to depend completely on the defense staying healthy and the running game coming to life.
Last year, Nick Chubb was not even remotely "himself" for the Browns and the team has clearly moved on. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns used a high second-round pick on Ohio State bruiser Quinshon Judkins before going after Tennessee's Dylan Sampson in the fourth round.
Browns could have dynamic running game with Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson picks
Jerome Ford is back for the Browns this year, but it won't be even a little bit surprising to see both Judkins and Sampson leading the way for this team in terms of carries and touches. Judkins is a big, bruising back who has been compared a to the likes of Joe Mixon. Sampson broke a 95-year-old record at Tennessee with his 22 total touchdowns last season, en route to the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award and First-Team All-SEC.
The Browns got themselves a couple of backs who can immediately translate to the professional level, and they are players this team is going to legitimately be able to lean on in their first NFL seasons.
The Browns had the 32nd-ranked scoring offense in the league last year and ranked 29th in rushing yards, 30th with just eight rushing touchdowns, and 23rd in yards per carry (4.1). The Browns needed a jolt in the running game in the worst possible way and these two guys can provide exactly that.
The ability of these two players to create yards after contact will serve them well as the Browns are going to be facing a ton of loaded boxes with their quarterback situation. It's going to be tough sledding for these players as rookies but they can put the Browns offense in favorable down-and-distance situations and help this team maybe surprise some folks by winning a lot more one-score, low-scoring games than anyone is anticipating.