New Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins has revealed that, while the team’s rookie class is getting along, old college rivalries have yet to be forgotten. Judkins is now teammates with quarterback Dillon Gabriel and fellow running back Dylan Sampson, who both fell to Judkins’ Ohio State in the 2024 playoffs.
The running back now also calls Michigan product Mason Graham a teammate, after the pair were on opposite sides of college football’s fiercest rivalry.
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Quinshon Judkins Reveals the Cleveland Browns’ Rookie-Camp Rivalries
Rookie camp provides an opportunity for first-year players to get familiar with their new surroundings, new coaches, and new teammates. Cleveland’s camp has been no different, and Judkins has praised the work that his new team did in the draft. He did, though, note that former rivalries from college have surfaced in camp.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Judkins revealed that while he and his new teammates are excited for the next step in their careers, the rivalries remain fresh.
“Oh, yeah. All the time. I try not to be too harsh, but I mean sometimes Dillon brings up how they beat us the first time, and I’ll just do this to him [flash four fingers] and he’ll shut up.” Judkins’ Ohio State avenged their regular-season loss to Gabriel’s Oregon by putting up 41 points in the teams’ playoff meeting. Judkins put up 85 rushing yards in that game, averaging five per carry.
Judkins then mentioned Graham, whom Judkins faced in the final game of the 2024 regular season, in which Graham’s Michigan was victorious.
“Even Mason Graham, a lot of us have a little team chemistry, but also, at the same time, there’s a little animosity because we just played each other not too long ago. We laugh about the moments at particular points in these games that we played against each other, how we were a part of each other’s journeys, and where we ended up now. So it’s pretty special.”
Browns Enjoyed a Stellar 2025 Draft
The Browns have been widely praised for the talent that they brought in during the 2025 NFL Draft. The team locked down the interior of its defensive line with Graham, who should help star edge rusher Myles Garrett continue terrifying quarterbacks for years to come. The team then added linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Judkins in Round 2.
Schwesinger was tipped by some to be a Day 1 pick and was swept up by Cleveland with the first pick of Day 2. Judkins was overlooked in favor of other running backs in the first round, but was the first back taken on Day 2, going ahead of his college teammate, TreVeyon Henderson.
In Round 3, the team added tight end Harold Fannin Jr., who led the FBS in receptions and receiving yards in 2024. They also picked up Gabriel, with the team’s quarterback job likely up for grabs in 2026. Two of the team’s Day 2 picks got some competition on Day 3, as Cleveland added Sampson in Round 4, before ending the shocking fall of Shedeur Sanders in Round 5.
While the future looks bright for Cleveland after several impressive additions, the success of the team’s draft class will always be compared to that of Travis Hunter. The Browns passed on the opportunity to draft the generational two-way prospect with their second overall pick, instead trading back with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars came away with one of the draft’s marquee talents, while the Browns collected a haul of draft picks, creating an interesting sliding doors moment that could be looked back on for years to come.