Each new season brings new opportunities for every NFL player. Be it old or new, another season presents itself as an opportunity for players to make major impacts on the teams they play for. That stands true for the Cleveland Browns, a team that is in desperate need of new, young, impactful talent. The 2025 squad is going to be over-reliant on young talent as they wrestle with the massive contracts for Deshaun Watson and Myles Garrett.
Those two contracts alone have made the team's cap situation a bit murky, so younger, less expensive players are currently the focus of the team. It's why they were so desperate to land as many picks and rookies as possible for this year and next. Things are going to be tight, but if the Browns' front office can hit on some picks this year and next, the team may bounce back pretty fast.
Though Browns GM Andrew Berry hasn't exactly been a consistent force with drafting. Many of his draft classes failed to live up to the hype. Still, hope remains eternal for the new crop of rookies. Which is why we're looking at three of the names who can make a serious dent on the team this year. We're going to exclude first-round pick, DT Mason Graham, from the list. As the fifth-overall pick, he's expected to make a major impact on the team. So instead, we're looking at other players who can possibly be huge contributors for the Browns in 2025.
QB Shedeur Sanders
It's hard to say if the impact Shedeur Sanders will make on the team is going to be a positive or a negative one, yet I'd hazard a guess that Sanders is going to get a few opportunities to start at some point in the season. How he does in those will determine the team's trajectory over the coming years. Be it good or bad, Sanders will likely have a huge impact on the team in 2025.
LB Carson Schwesinger
We're not the only ones who were hoping to see Carson Schwesinger line up next to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. That won't happen, as the Pro Bowl linebacker will miss all of 2025 with a neck injury. That's assuming he's able to return at all.
The Browns do have Devin Bush, but his 2024 season was more likely an anomaly, considering how bad he was prior to landing in Cleveland. Players don't usually get good after five years in the league, so it's far likely that what we got from Bush last year was a one-and-done type of performance. All this to say, Schwesinger will have a huge role early in his career for the Browns, and it'll be up to him to help keep the defense fortified.
RB Dylan Sampson
Second-rounder Quinshon Judkins should be on this list, but he's likely out for a long time due to legal issues. So that means fourth-rounder Dylan Sampson will likely be a major player for the Browns.
Jerome Ford is back with the team after a solid 2024, but the team needs more impactful outings from the ground game. While Ford did rush for 565 yards and 5.5 yards per carry, he only scored three touchdowns. He needs someone who can spell him and get in the endzone, and that could be Sampson.