The Cleveland Browns Are Doing A Whole Lot Right
The Browns have taken three quarterbacks in the last two NFL Drafts, and yet, a whole lot makes sense about what Cleveland is trying to do.
A lot of folks who write and talk about the NFL Draft loved what the Cleveland Browns were able to do last week.
Interestingly enough, a lot of folks who write and talk about the NFL Draft loved what the Browns were able to do last year, too. The Browns took former UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger in the second round of the draft last year, and he won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Browns took former Ohio State and Ole Miss star tailback Quinshon Judkins, and he tallied over 800 yards on the ground in 14 games, in the second round, too. Their third-round selection, former Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin, reeled in 72 receptions for 731 yards and six scores. A whole lot of production from their early-draft choices in 2025, which doesn’t even include top-5 selection Mason Graham, who did have 7 TFLs and 4 QB hits to pair with 17 starts.
All of this first-year production should excite Browns fans when you consider general manager Andrew Berry made five additional selections in the first three rounds in this year’s draft. With nine picks in the first three rounds across back-to-back seasons, Cleveland could really have a stew going.
But they also took two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft – Dillon Gabriel in the third and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth. They took Taylen Green in the sixth round this year. They still have Deshaun Watson on the roster. Barring a breakout season from Gabriel, Sanders, or Green, it should not come as a surprise if Cleveland takes another quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, given how loaded a class it portends to be. That’s right, Cleveland could take four quarterbacks across three consecutive drafts, and chances are you would still look at what Cleveland did in 2025 and 2026 on the whole and commend them on a job well done.
How interesting is that?
The Browns are in a unique spot in which they have earned back-to-back ‘A’ grades for their draft choices while using three of their seventeen picks on quarterbacks. A lot of that obviously has to do with when they’re taking the quarterbacks. Berry took fliers on Gabriel and Sanders after four other positions: defensive tackle, linebacker, tight end, and running back. This year, Berry took a flyer on Green after addressing six other positions: offensive tackle, wide receiver, safety, center, linebacker, and tight end. The Browns have poured a whole lot of draft capital into areas of need while also taking fliers on quarterbacks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds, respectively, over the last two seasons. If one of the quarterbacks hits during this period, great, but if not, that’s perfectly fine, too, because they haven’t reached for anyone in the first or second round.
It’s not a coincidence that the last homegrown quarterback to flourish in Cleveland also happened to be Cleveland’s last No. 1 overall pick in Baker Mayfield. The best way to find your franchise quarterback is in the first round. It doesn’t mean that’s the only way, but it has proven to be the most common way. The Browns haven’t taken a quarterback in the first round since Mayfield in 2018. With Arch Manning and more talented quarterbacks looming in the 2027 class, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland finally dipped their toes back into the water when it comes to taking quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft.
If that is the route the Browns go in 2027, the team will have threaded the needle of drafting well in preparation for that kind of quarterback investment. The Browns have used their first picks in the first round the last two seasons in the trenches – defensive tackle last season and offensive tackle this season. They took two offensive tackles and two wide receivers across the first 86 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft. They have invested in running back, at linebacker, and at safety, too. They’ve retained the NFL single-season sack leader Myles Garrett through it all, too.
Cleveland currently has four gigantic unknowns at quarterback in Watson, Gabriel, Sanders, and Green. It remains to be seen if the team will use its own first-round pick on a quarterback next season. What we do know is that Berry and the front office are building a foundation for potential success in Cleveland for whichever quarterback ultimately figures it out under center with the Browns. Devoid of context, how many folks would assume Cleveland has nailed back-to-back drafts if you lead with they took three quarterbacks? Probably not many, and while Cleveland must solve the most pressing need for their franchise sooner rather than later, it does not have to be solved this season. Cleveland can nail back-to-back drafts while also throwing dart after dart when it comes to the quarterback position at present. Even better, the team’s new head football coach, Todd Monken, had a lot of success as the offensive coordinator at Georgia when the quarterback situation was certainly uncertain.
Cleveland is probably not going to be a great team in 2026, but their last two drafts are putting them in a position to become one if they can solve their quarterback conundrum sooner rather than later. 2027 is the year the Browns should take a real swing at taking a quarterback in the first round of the draft. The team hasn’t found consistent success since they last used a first-round pick on a quarterback. They could have reached for a quarterback in the first or second round this year. They could have last year, too, but to their credit, they were patient and took their fliers in the third round and beyond to ensure that when they do take a big swing in the first round, perhaps next spring, that quarterback is walking into a great situation where early-round draft capital the last couple of cycles has been used smartly. If this year’s class is as productive as last year’s for Cleveland, that just might be the case for the Browns next franchise quarterback.