While the Cleveland Browns didn't have the best season, finishing at 5-12, there is one main positive takeaway (other than Myles Garrett's record-breaking season) for Cleveland: the rookie class.
With essentially all of the Browns' draft picks hitting in some capacity, this past draft has not only set the team up for success in the future, but it also saved Andrew Berry his job.
And as Dante Koplowitz-Fleming of NFL.com shared, it might be for good reason. Cleveland had four rookies make NFL history that should give Browns fans plenty of hope for the future of this team.
Four Browns rookies make NFL history
Four rookies made NFL history for the Browns. Shedeur Sanders, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr, and Carson Schwesinger combined to make NFL history.
"The 2025 Browns are the only team since the 1970 merger to have a rookie lead the team in pass yards (Sanders), rush yards (Judkins), receiving yards (Fannin Jr.), and tackles (Schwesinger) in a season," Koplowitz-Fleming writes.
This is a very impressive feat for the Browns' rookie class. While it's also a factor in how the rest of the team wasn't very good, it does highlight that these rookies were instant-impact players for Cleveland this season.
Sanders, despite playing just the final third of the year, finished with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. There are still some long-term questions about Sanders, but for now, he's a part of NFL history.
Judkins got hurt at the end of the year and faces a long road to recovery from a broken leg. But before his injury, he ran for 827 yards on 230 attempts. He also scored seven times and caught 26 passes for 171 yards.
Fannin Jr. Was one of the best rookies this season, hauling in 72 of his 107 targets for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He led the Browns in receptions, targets, yards, and touchdowns this season. He also ran the ball seven times for 13 yards and a touchdown on some trick plays, further proving his versatility and uniqueness.
Lastly, Schwesinger led the team in tackles this season with 146 total. While his 2.5 sacks weren't nearly enough to lead the team thanks to Garrett breaking the single-season record, he wasn't just a tackling machine. Add on his three passes defended, two picks, and Schwesinger is the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Browns' rookie class has been an incredible one, and these four have made some NFL history amid their strong starts to their NFL careers.
More Browns News:
- Three head coaches Browns could hire to help Shedeur Sanders develop after firing Kevin Stefanski
- Shedeur Sanders looked every bit a fifth-round pick to close out the season
- Myles Garrett was 'scared as hell' he wouldn't break sack record
- LeBron James sends message to Browns’ Myles Garrett after breaking sack record
- Browns' Shedeur Sanders found a way to sack himself
- Browns get $10 million projection on David Njoku's free agent contract