BEREA — The Brownsspent two picks on one position in April’s draft. Those two picks came together two weeks later for the first time.

It’s a lot easier to mesh two running backs together than it is two quarterbacks. Even in the same draft class.

So neither second-round pick Quinshon Judkins nor fourth-rounder Dylan Sampson felt any ill will toward the other when they finally came together for the first time for the Browns’ rookie minicamp.

“Yeah, nah, it’s been good,” Sampson said Friday. “You can tell we’re going to be able to push each other. I mean, as well as the older guys in the room going to be able to learn a lot from each other and I’m ready to just learn some more ball. But, I mean, me and Quinshon, I could tell we’ll have a good relationship and we kind of see eye to eye on a lot of things. So glad to be in the backfield with him and the other guys that’s there right now.”

Right now, Judkins and Sampson comprise nearly half of the Browns’ running back depth. Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. are both entering the final year of their contracts, and Cleveland signed Appalachian State running back Ahmani Marshall as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Nick Chubb, the franchise stalwart since 2018 and third all-time rusher in Browns history, is a free agent. The Browns have also indicated, particularly through the drafting of Judkins and Sampson, that he won’t be re-signed in the near-term.

Chubb’s feelings on being drafted over by the only NFL team he’s ever played for don’t require much imagination, even if he doesn’t necessarily put them on front street. Judkins, taken 90 picks before Sampson, was up front about his own feelings in finding out he wouldn’t be the only running back in the draft class.

“I was happy,” Judkins said Friday. “I was ecstatic. Every Dylan we got, I was super happy [laughs]. But, like I said, great players, bro, just special. They’ll contribute to the team.”

The other “Dylan” is more like a “Dillon,” as in Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel’s one of the two quarterbacks — along with Shedeur Sanders — the Browns selected in the draft.

Although the Browns would prefer to only have to play one quarterback in a given game or season, playing multiple running backs will be a given, especially in the offense Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are putting together. That’s where the potential of Sampson and Judkins working in tandem leaves both backs seeing great things ahead.

“Yeah, if we all go out here and handle business throughout training camp,” Sampson said. “There’s also some guys who’ve been here, so it’s a competition all over, but I think this is the blueprint of the league, the best way it works with running backs. It’s a long season so you want as many people as you can to go in there and split reps and do good for the team, that keeps everybody fresh. You see it all across the league, and I think we have an opportunity to do that here.”

Judkins and Sampson each have experience both as the primary workhorse for his team, as well as working in a tandem of sorts. It happened almost in opposite ways for them, but successfully.

Sampson spent his first two seasons at Tennessee as mostly a backup. However, his final season there he blossomed into a 1,400-plus rusher, as well as SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

Judkins spent his first two seasons at Ole Miss, where he carried the ball more than 270 times and finished as one of the SEC’s top rushers each season. He transfered to Ohio State for the 2024 season, when he still rushed for 1,000-plus yards, but stayed fresh — and won a national championship — by splitting time with TreVeyeon Henderson, who was taken two picks later than Judkins by the New England Patriots.

“I didn’t really look at it like that,” Judkins said. “I think going into that situation, it just was one of those great positions to be in where you have another guy in the room where you both can contribute to the team and not be taxing on your legs and be able to be available at the same time and stay healthy at the same time, be able to produce.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson see no issues with Browns doubling up