The Browns’ draft class made strong impressions at NFL Combine

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

The NFL Combine in late February was where and when the Browns’ draft class made their first impressions – at least on the coaches.

The scouts had written lengthy reports on their playing abilities, of course. But when the coaches joined the scouting process at the Combine, the face-to-face interviews enabled the coaches and others to get a feel for the players as people and potential teammates.

So I went back to the Combine interviews – with the media, not the private ones with the coaches – to pick out a few Q&A exchanges on each player the Browns eventually drafted.

We didn’t know they’d wind up as Browns. But this is what we heard back then.

Mason Graham, defensive tackle, Michigan

Q. What do you try to portray to teams in your interviews?

A. Just how hard I work. No off the field stuff. All about business. No one's really concerned about that, but I'm not a mysterious guy. You don't need to look deep into me to find out about me. Everything's out there. Nothing to hide.

Q. Name one play last season that kind of summarizes your game.

A. Just roll out Ohio State film, you know. That's all you need to see, really.

Carson Schwesinger, linebacker, UCLA

Q. What do you bring to a team as a linebacker?

A. I kind of bring the whole package in terms of stopping the run, being able, on third down, you want to send me on pressure, you want to drop me in coverage. I think I can really do it all. There’s not really anything that I can't do when it comes to being on the field as a linebacker.

Q. What traits are you most proud of?

A. I believe that when you turn on the tape, there's really never a play where I'm not going 100 percent. You might lose one rep here or there, and you learn from it after film, but my goal is to, really, whether I win or lose, I'm going to be doing it at 100 percent.

Quinshon Judkins, running back, Ohio State

Q. How did your one season at Ohio State improve your game?

A. Just knowing what everybody else is doing on the field. Just growing as a complete player, working on pass protection, getting better at little things I wanted to work on over the year after transferring from a different school.

Q. Describe yourself as a running back.

A. I’m a bigger guy with size, speed, vision, elusiveness and power. Can run between the tackles, also outside. Just have natural, great hands. I haven’t seen any running back in today’s NFL that can do what I do with my size. That’s what I bring to the game.

Dillon Gabriel, quarterback, Oregon

(These comments come from an interview with CBS.com at the Combine. His Combine transcript was unavailable.)

Q. Why did you drive a Chrysler minivan at Oregon?

A. The minivan to me resembled a lot of things – being easy, efficient, simple way of living. But also, when you walk into a locker room, being the new guy at Oregon, how would that speak to somebody if I had a Lamborghini walking in?

Q. What do you say to NFL teams about overcoming your height (5-10 ½)?

A. I think alignment is so important. From coaches to players to ownership. For me, every team I’ve met with that I feel really good about have voiced they don’t give a rip about it. They value me for the right things. That’s decision-making, efficiency, accuracy -- all things that translate. To each their own. I’m not for everyone. But I don’t want to be like anyone else, either. So that works in my favor.

Harold Fannin Jr., tight end, Bowling Green

Q. What makes you stand out in this loaded tight end class?

A. Definitely my versatility. Being moved around a lot. You can always see that on tape. And I think catching. I think the way I attack the ball at the end of a game.

Q. What was the toughest thing for you to figure out in this game?

A. Just playing tight end in general. I played a lot of defense in high school. I didn't really play offense. So it's kind of just knowing how offense works. And obviously, playing tight end. I never played that. So, I'd probably say in-line blocking, stuff like that. You know, just getting into a three-point stance.

Dylan Sampson, running back, Tennessee

Q. What are your best attributes entering the NFL?

A. I think my tenacity more than anything, and just the mindset I take every time I touch the field. Regardless of how big I am, I know what I’m going to do when I get the ball in my hands and even when I’m not playing with the ball in my hands. Teams can expect to get a hard-working player who won’t have any issues off the field, who will come into the locker room and learn and try to grow, and become a leader. Whatever they need me to do. I’m a play-maker and that’s what I’ll be.

Q. Will the success that backs like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry had in 2024 improve the value of running backs in the NFL?

A. You’re talking about those guys and [Jahmyr] Gibbs adding that new style to the game and that offensive weapon you can put in the slot, it’s adding value back to this position. I wouldn’t say we have the hardest position, but we have one of the most physically taxing positions. We’re asked to do everything -- block, run, catch, and we’re a valuable piece that can sometimes go unnoticed. They’re paving the way for new guys to come in and prove their value.

Shedeur Sanders, quarterback, Colorado

Q. What skill set or trait are you most proud of?

A. I'm most proud about my mental. Yeah, because I know nothing can faze me, no pressure, no situation. These cameras, nothing fazed me. I grew up with it.

Q. You helped change the culture at Jackson State and then at Colorado. Can an NFL franchise and fan base expect the same from you?

A. That's the plan. If that's not what you're trying to do, don't get me. If you ain't trying to change the franchise or the culture, don't get me. So you should know, history repeats itself over and over and over and I've done it over and over and over. So it should be no question why an NFL franchise should be.