The Cleveland Browns may not have delivered the results they wanted in the standings during the 2025 season, but according to NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, no team did a better job building for the future than Cleveland.
Brooks ranked the Browns as the team with the most impactful rookie class in the league, pointing to a group of first-year players that has already taken on major roles and could accelerate a turnaround as early as next season.
Brooks‘ evaluation focused on how quickly rookies have translated their talent to the NFL level, and Cleveland stood out despite its struggles and ongoing quarterback instability. While the Browns once again endured uncertainty under center, they may have uncovered a potential answer in fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Shedeur exceeded expectations
Taken No. 144 overall, Sanders exceeded expectations for a Day 3 selection and gave the team stability down the stretch, helping offset the underwhelming return from third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel.Sanders‘ production was emblematic of the broader impact Cleveland‘s rookie class has made on offense.
The Browns finished the season with rookies leading the team in passing, rushing, and receiving yards, a rare feat that underscores how quickly the group became central to the offense. Sanders threw for 1,289 yards after taking over the starting job, while second-round running back Quinshon Judkins emerged as the team’s most productive runner with 827 yards. Third-round tight end Harold Fannin Jr. became a reliable target in the passing game, leading the Browns in receiving yards with 731.
Judkins and Fannin were not alone in contributing. Fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson and undrafted receiver Isaiah Bond also flashed big-play ability, giving Cleveland multiple young weapons capable of creating yards after the catch. Collectively, that group provided a level of explosiveness that had been missing from the offense in recent seasons and offered a glimpse of what the unit could look like with more continuity and improved quarterback play.
The defensive newcomers also made a good impression
On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns‘ rookie class was just as influential. First-round pick Mason Graham, selected fifth overall, made an immediate impact along the interior defensive line. He finished with seven tackles for loss, ranking fifth among rookies, and consistently disrupted opposing offenses.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, taken early in the second round, proved to be one of the most productive defenders in the league, rookie or otherwise. Schwesinger led all first-year players with 11 tackles for loss and 146 combined tackles, numbers that placed him among the NFL’s overall leaders.
After watching the Browns‘ rookie class contribute across all phases from the opening weeks of the season, Brooks concluded that Cleveland has laid the groundwork for a dramatic rebound. While the 2025 record was disappointing, the emergence of Sanders, Judkins, Fannin, Graham, and a deep supporting cast suggests the Browns may finally have the young core needed to push the franchise in the right direction.
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