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Cleveland Browns Linked To Quarterback Better Than Any 2026 Draft Pros

Bonisiwe Shabane
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cleveland browns linked to quarterback better than any 2026 draft pros

It’s not too soon for the Cleveland Browns to be thinking about their options in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tied to that, it’s also never too soon for them to be considering how to fix their quarterback situation. Analyst Matt Wilson recently linked the Browns to a surprising QB prospect. “USC QB Jayden Maiava would look great in a Cleveland Browns uniform,” Wilson wrote on X. USC QB Jayden Maiava would look GREAT in a Cleveland #Browns uniform. 👀 #DawgPound #NFLDraft2026 pic.twitter.com/LziFEUkgWK

— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) November 7, 2025 While Joe Flacco was never a serious contender to start games after 2025, the Cleveland Browns do have two rookie quarterbacks who could get a shot to be QB1. Dillon Gabriel made his NFL debut Sunday, where he went 3-for-3 for 19 yards and a passing touchdown in mop-up duty in Baltimore. While the Browns, who will likely pick towards the top of the draft at least once, could select one of the top QBs in the 2026 QB draft class. NFL analyst Emory Hunt thinks the answer is neither Gabriel nor a 2026 QB. “Shedeur (Sanders) and Cam Ward are far and above better than whoever the top quarterback would be in this class,” Emory said on the Ross Tucker Podcast.

“You have people that get hung on these names, like (Garrett) Nussmeier and (Drew) Allar. Everyone is just recycling these names.” “Shedeur and Cam Ward are far and above better than whoever the top quarterback would be in this class.”Agree or disagree with @FBallGamePlan? pic.twitter.com/vvAJfaw6c1 Hunt’s opinion could be shocking to some. While Sanders and Ward were originally paired together as the top QBs in the 2025 draft class, Sanders’ stock plummeted by draft day.

Ward was selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans while Sanders dropped to the fifth round. Emory is declaring that Sanders, who was taken as the sixth QB in his own draft class, is superior to every draft-eligible name in 2026. The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to quarterback questions, and as the 2025 season winds down, they find themselves in familiar territory-evaluating young talent under center and weighing it against what’s shaping up to... Veteran Joe Flacco, while still on the roster, isn’t expected to factor into the team’s future plans. Instead, the focus has shifted to a pair of rookies: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Gabriel saw his first NFL action in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, completing all three of his pass attempts for 19 yards and a touchdown during garbage time.

It wasn’t much, but it was clean, efficient work in his limited opportunity. Gabriel’s brief debut comes at an important moment for Cleveland. With the Browns likely picking near the top of the draft again, the front office will have a decision to make: keep investing in young quarterbacks already on the roster, or roll the dice... But not everyone is sold on the idea that next year’s draft will offer a better solution. The Cleveland Browns lost in humiliating fashion to the New York Jets. The Browns shut down the Jets for the majority of the game.

Unfortunately, the Jets scored on three explosive plays. The score would be too much for the Browns to handle. The team now has the inside track on the second pick in the 2026 NFL draft. The Browns must find a way to pick in the top two selections. The Browns need to find a quarterback in next year’s draft class. The class is fraying, as quarterbacks Dante Moore of Oregon, Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, and Ty Simpson of Alabama will all decide whether to enter the NFL draft or return to college.

If the Browns don’t have a top-three pick, then they have a real shot of losing one of these quarterbacks. In the latest 2026 NFL mock draft, the Browns address the quarterback situation while rebuilding their trenches and increasing their talent in the receiving room. The Browns are set up for eight picks inside the first five rounds. The team will have many opportunities to shore up their weak position groups over draft weekend. Fernando Mendoza was the first quarterback I mocked to the Browns before the season started. With more than a month left in his junior season, Mendoza is the Heisman award favorite.

Mendoza has thrown for 2,342 yards, 26 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 181 completions and 254 attempts. Mendoza turned heads when he turned down top paydays to join the Hoosiers. Mendoza strongly believed that head coach Curt Cignetti knows how to develop NFL quarterbacks. That’s proven to be the case as Mendoza is in the consensus top-three picks in the draft. The Cleveland Browns have a tough task ahead in the weeks before the 2025 season kicks off: naming their starting quarterback. And even if that decision is made with extreme care, there’s no guarantee the team won’t look for its quarterback of the future in the 2026 draft.

If the team underperforms this season and ends up with a high pick next year, it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t use it on a quarterback. Here’s a look at who could fall into the Browns’ lap in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Browns have spent years cycling through quarterbacks, hoping to find their championship answer. The Deshaun Watson experiment, which began with promise in 2022, failed to deliver. Before Watson, Baker Mayfield was selected first overall in 2018, but after failing to make the immediate impact Cleveland needed, he was traded and has since found success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Cleveland enters this season with four underwhelming quarterback options, and the outlook remains uncertain.

This situation has analysts projecting significant changes ahead, including the possibility of the Browns landing the top pick in the 2026 draft. PFSN projected the Browns to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, which would give them their choice of prospects. Their projected selection would be Arch Manning, the Texas quarterback who now carries the starting role following Quinn Ewers’ departure from the program. The Cleveland Browns took two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. However, neither will be the starting quarterback of the future.

Gabriel was a third-round pick, while Sanders was drafted in the fifth round, and neither might even see a regular-season snap this upcoming season. The Browns have veteran quarterback Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the roster, and the two are competing for the starting job. Cleveland should be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, and if they are picking at the top of next year’s draft quarterback, it will most likely be the selection. Ian Cummings from Pro Football Network published a 2026 mock draft in which the Browns are projected to take Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik at No. 3 overall. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have been linked to a breakout star quarterback in 2026 NFL free agency.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox predicts Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones will be the top free agent on the market this offseason, and the Steelers and Browns will be potential suitors for the veteran signal-caller. "Just about any QB-needy team would be wise to make a run at Jones if he reaches the market," Knox wrote. Through nine games, Jones has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the league. The 28-year-old has tossed 14 touchdowns to six interceptions with a 69.6% completion rate. Jones also leads the NFL in passing yards (2,404) and has the Colts sitting at 7-2. The Steelers and Browns will likely be in the quarterback market this offseason.

Aaron Rodgers could end up retiring after the season for Pittsburgh, while Cleveland currently doesn't have a long-term answer at the position on their roster. The Cleveland Browns used two draft picks on quarterbacks this offseason. Unfortunately, at least one of those selections might turn out to be a waste. Neither Dillon Gabriel nor Shedeur Sanders is an elite prospect, and, as such, chances are that they’re better suited to be high-end backups than actual starters. With that in mind, Bleacher Report tied them to three quarterback prospects from the stacked class of 2026: “Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (No.

6), Drew Allar, Penn State (No. 16), Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (No. 8),” per BR NFL Draft Scouting Dept. “The jury is still out on Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, but neither should prevent the Browns from drafting a quarterback next season. Fortunately, the 2026 crop has multiple potential first-rounders that could be intriguing to Kevin Stefanski and Co. Indiana transfer Fernando Mendoza is the top quarterback on our early board and there’s reason to believe the 6’5″, 225-pound quarterback would find success in Cleveland.

Mendoza’s ability to win from the pocket fits well with Stefanski’s more traditional approach to offense. Drew Allar would offer a similar fit as a big-bodied prospect (6’5″, 235 pounds). He has the arm strength to rip throws into the Lake Erie wind in December.” The Cleveland Browns need a new quarterback, and they find themselves in a position to take one as they come on the clock in this mock draft. The NFL season is finally upon us. After nearly half a year without professional football, our teams return to us with the hopes of a brighter tomorrow.

Some teams will return with the distance cold that sends fans searching for a brighter tomorrow. I assume that’s how most readers are finding this first mock draft of the season. If the Browns have taught me anything, it’s that it’s never too early to look toward the future. This mock is a complete first-round mock draft. The draft order was determined by inverting the Super Bowl odds from our friends at BetMGM.com. This first mock includes seven quarterbacks going in the draft.

While I don’t think that 20% of the first round will be quarterbacks, I wanted to include a host of players for fans looking for their future franchise quarterback. In future mock drafts, there will be far fewer quarterbacks. The goal for this mock draft is to introduce as many top prospects in college football as I can. The 2026 NFL draft class has the potential to be very good. That’s why I want to spread the word. Arch Manning had a very disappointing 2025 debut.

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