A Cleveland Browns team in need of a young quarterback traded the second pick of the 2025 NFL Draft and then grabbed defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth choice.
That same night, the New York Giants made quarterback Jaxson Dart the 25th overall pick of the draft. Meanwhile, the Browns ultimately took fliers on signal-callers Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round).
NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated covered Cleveland’s quarterback situation throughout the summer. For his latest mailbag, he addressed whether or not the Browns regret how they handled the draft after Dart impressed in a 21-18 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Would Browns take Jaxson Dart at pick No. 2 in re-draft?
“Would the Browns take Dart No. 2? I don’t think so,” Breer wrote. “They saw 2025 as a chance to reset and get a lot younger (after being drained of first-round picks for three years after trading for Deshaun Watson), and they took that chance in trading down and stocking the roster with guys like Mason Graham, (linebacker) Carson Schwesinger, (running back) Quinshon Judkins, (tight end) Harold Fannin Jr. and (running back) Dylan Sampson.”
Dart completed 13-of-20 attempts for 111 yards with a touchdown on a shovel pass in the win over the Chargers. He also recorded 54 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries.
To compare, Pro Football Reference shows that No. 1 overall pick and Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward began Wednesday with the league’s worst adjusted QBR (19.8) among qualified players for the season’s first four weeks.
Would Jaxson Dart go ahead of Cam Ward in re-draft?
“I don’t think he’d go in front of Cam Ward,” Breer added about Tennessee possibly regretting taking Ward over Dart. “If you’re in the AFC and will have to contend with [Josh Allen], [Joe Burrow], Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes for the foreseeable future, you have to swing for the fences at quarterback. Ward’s the guy with the highest ceiling still, and as such, he’s got the best chance to challenge his conference’s giants. …I’m not sure the needle has been moved enough at this point to say definitively that Dart would go in the top 10.”