The Cleveland Browns nabbed a handful of rookies in the 2025 NFL draft who could end up not just key cogs on the roster, but among the best players at their positions in the league.
There are a few candidates who might potentially rise to the top of their position groups this season, including defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 5 overall pick) and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (No. 33 overall pick). ESPN predicts that both players will start during their rookie campaigns based on the website’s most recent depth chart projections.
But Pro Football Focus (PFF) specifically projected on Wednesday, June 25, that running back Quinshon Judkins (No. 36 overall pick) out of Ohio State University will crack the NFL’s list of top 10 rushers this upcoming season. Based on PFF’s calculations, Judkins will finish the year with 1,093.8 rushing yards.
Jerome Ford May Be Entering Last Season With Browns
GettyCleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford.
The Browns used one of the picks they got in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to secure Judkins, who is the favorite to replace Nick Chubb as the longterm future of the running back position in Cleveland.
“The Browns finally targeted a skill position player and got one who starred not too far away in Columbus in Judkins,” Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN wrote on April 26. “Cleveland needed to upgrade its backfield with fan favorite Nick Chubb unsigned. Adding Judkins as a physical runner is a nice complement to Jerome Ford, who has been a big-play threat in his career.”
Ford is in the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, and Judkins could be his permanent replacement starting in 2026 considering that Ford will be looking for a new contract next summer. Ford produced 790 yards from scrimmage and three total TDs in 14 games (six starts) last season. In the year prior, he tallied 1,132 yards from scrimmage and nine total TDs in 17 games played (12 starts).
After letting Chubb walk and with the possibility of moving on from Ford in a year looming, the Browns also drafted running back Dylan Sampson out of Tennessee in the fourth round (No. 126 overall pick), another asset the team acquired in its deal with the Jaguars that also netted the Browns Jacksonville’s first-round pick in 2026.
Nick Chubb Headed to Browns’ AFC Rival on 1-Year Deal
GettyFormer Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
The Browns chose to move on from Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowler, after he suffered two season-ending injuries in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024.
The first involved several torn ligaments in his knee, which required multiple surgeries to address and left him sidelined for approximately 13 months. The second was a broken foot after his return to action last year.
Following a protracted offseason, in which Chubb’s return to Cleveland was uncertain, the running back ended up inking a one-year deal to join the Houston Texans in the AFC South Division. The Texans beat the Browns handily in the playoffs over Super Wildcard Weekend following the 2023 regular season, the last time Cleveland or Chubb made a postseason appearance.
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