First look at Browns rookie talent in action, including QBs Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are back to work in Berea as their rookie minicamp kicked off on Friday afternoon, providing the first look at the newest members of the Browns—and of course, all eyes were on the quarterbacks.

Dillon Gabriel, the Browns' No. 94 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland's fifth-round steal at No. 144, took their first reps in orange and brown.

The two worked side by side, throwing with each other, with coaches, and then with other players.

"Particularly when we’re talking about our quarterbacks with Dillon and Shedeur. We’ve spent meeting time with them out of this building. We’ve taken them through walkthroughs and then they get to go do it in uniform with the helmets on and just see what they can take from the meeting room to the grass. And I thought both guys did a nice job," said Head Coach Kevin Stefanski after the minicamp session.

Both Gabriel and Sanders made some solid passes, showing off accuracy, about all there is to glean from throwing on air in shorts and no pads.

Friday's work marked the start of what should be an interesting quarterback competition this summer, with Gabriel, Sanders, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco all in the mix for the starting role.

The latter two players have also been in Berea. The Browns posted pictures of both Flacco and Pickett in uniform earlier in the week, getting some offseason work in on the practice fields.

"I think the guys are working really hard. It's been a really fun group to work with in the meeting room, out on the practice field. I think they push each other just by naturally being guys that work so hard and put so much effort into it in the meeting room, out here on the practice field. So it's a really good group," Stefanski said.

While much of the attention was on Sanders and Gabriel, they weren't the only ones getting in work on Friday. All seven of the Browns' draft picks from this year, as well as undrafted free agents, camp invites, and young players from last year, hit the fields of Berea for the offseason workout session.

Canton native and former Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who was selected with the No. 67 overall pick, said his goal for this game is to show he's ready to work.

"I practice hard. I just try to be coachable. Just keep doing those little things and I feel like it's definitely going to translate going into the next level," Fannin said.

As for No. 33 overall pick Carson Schwesigner, the linebacker out of UCLA, he said he's ready to learn as much as possible while shaping his game at the NFL level.

"You're always going to have to be looking to improve in every aspect and whatever way they want to use me, I'm ready to work for that," Schwesinger said.

The Browns' first rookie minicamp session wrapped on Friday afternoon, but that isn't the end of the day for the young talent.

Stefanski said the guys will have plenty to do after they leave the facility, with homework assignments given to keep the guys sharp and continue their development off the field early into offseason workouts.

"They have a lot of homework. They have a lot of film to watch, playbooks to look at. You don't want to overburden a player where he's not going to play fast, but you want to see what they can handle. You want to push them, not to their limits, but certainly push them," Stefanski said. "So there's studying that needs to be done. We'll install plays on offense and defense that maybe we won't even practice, but we want them to spend the time out of this building in their playbook and then be ready to roll tomorrow morning. So they'll all sleep well."

The Browns' rookies will return for their second minicamp session Saturday morning.