Did a little birdie tell Dillon Gabriel he'd be taken 94th in the third round by the Browns?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns and NFL news …
The NFL is expected to release the date of the Browns’ game in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London prior to the full NFL schedule release on May 14.
That hasn’t happened yet, but a couple of X accounts jumped the gun and said the dates of the two NFL games in Hotspur Stadium are set for October 5 and October 12. Those are Weeks 5 and 6 of the 2025 NFL schedule.
@OzzyNFL posted on X:
“Tottenham Hotspur Stadium's website has confirmed the expected - the 2025 NFL London Series will kickoff on October 5th, Week 5!”
The Tottenham website, however, does not confirm the dates.
Also, an X account of @NerdingonNFL posted the dates of October 5 and October 12 for the two NFL games there this year. The New York Jets and Browns are the host teams for the games.
@NerdingonNFL went on to speculate the Browns’ opponent will be the Tennessee Titans on October 12.
The Browns have not been informed of the exact date of their game in London, per a team source.
Gabriel’s premonition
The Browns’ high opinion of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was the best-kept secret of their pre-draft season.
Although the Browns’ ownership/front office entourage did make a stop in Eugene, OR, on its private workout tour of the draft’s top quarterbacks, nobody connected the Browns to Gabriel until the second night of the draft.
Except Gabriel, it turns out.
Most draft analysts projected Gabriel to be selected in the fourth through sixth rounds. Gabriel, however, expected to be taken by the Browns in the exact spot they took him.
A video has surfaced on social media of Gabriel, allegedly the day before the draft, doing some bird calls in his native Hawaii. He hears a bird respond to his call and tells a person off camera, “That bird right there … Cleveland Browns, 94. That’s what he said.”
The Browns took Gabriel with the 94th overall pick in the third round.
Numbers, please
The Browns released the jersey numbers assigned to their rookie draft picks.
Defensive tackle Mason Graham will wear No. 94.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, No. 49.
Running back Quinshon Judkins, No. 10.
Tight end Harold Fannin, Jr., No. 88.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, No. 5.
Running back Dylan Sampson, No. 22.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, No. 12.
Sanders, whose jersey already has more pre-orders than any NFL rookie, wore No. 2 at Jackson State and Colorado. But that number was assigned to receiver/returner DeAndre Carter.
Previous Browns quarterbacks to wear No. 12 were Vinny Testaverde, Don Strock, Colt McCoy, Rick Trocano and Jeff Driskel.
Jersey numbers assigned to new veteran players or changed by returning players:
Cornerback M.J. Emerson, No. 1 (formerly No. 23).
Receiver/returner DeAndre Carter, No. 2.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett, No. 8.
Cornerback Tony Browns, No. 11.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, No. 16.
Linebacker Jerome Baker, No. 17.
Cornerback Nik Needham, No. 25.
Kicker Andre Szmyt, No. 38.
Defensive end Julian Okwara, No. 53.
Offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, No. 71.
Guard/offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, No. 74.
Defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, No. 90.
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins, No. 96.
The Browns say that jersey numbers are subject to change before the beginning of the 2025 regular season.