There is one quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft class who might develop into a star. That player is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who looks very likely to be drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders, who currently hold the No. 2 pick in the draft. If that happens, the Cleveland Browns, who are presently slated to draft at No. 4, will have a tough decision to make.
Do you take a shot on Dante Moore, who really only has one year of production with an Oregon offense that...well, is the same one that just produced Dillon Gabriel, a quarterback that the Browns have already benched for a different rookie passer? Do you take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is in the middle of a slump that has dropped his draft stock?
Or, if you're Cleveland, do you just lock in and give Shedeur Sanders a legitimate shot to prove he can be your franchise quarterback?
Yeah, it's the last one. You do the last one.
The case for Shedeur Sanders as Cleveland's 2026 starter
Sanders falling to the fifth round remains the most baffling thing about the 2025 NFL Draft. Yes, he reportedly didn't interview well, and yes, the whole "Sanders family media circus" concern existed, but if we're talking purely about talent as a quarterback, he was the second-best prospect in that class. Now, credit to Jaxson Dart for what he's done in New York, which has vaulted him to the top of the 2025 rookie quarterback rankings, but after Dart and Cam Ward, there's not a 2025 rookie quarterback I'd rather have going forward than Sanders. And yes, that includes Tyler Shough, who has probably done enough for New Orleans to give him a second season as well.
Sanders was a disaster in his first action, going 4-for-16 for 47 yards against the Ravens after replacing an injured Gabriel, but he's been better since, mostly. Sure, his three-interception game against the Bears is a stain on his resume, but his performance against the Titans — 364 passing yards and three touchdowns — is something you can only do if you're a talented quarterback.
If Mendoza isn't an option, then the Browns should just roll with Sanders. The other quarterbacks in this class are far from sure things, so if you're rolling with someone who might bust anyway, just go with the guy who is already on your roster and who has shown some things at the NFL level.
And if he fails? Well...
Sanders failing is fine for Cleveland
Let's say the Browns stick with Sanders next season and instead of getting rewarded with big showings and the emergence of a franchise quarterback, the team instead loses a ton of football games.
Cleveland could trade down from its top-five draft position this year to collect a 2027 first, which would give the team additional ammunition next season — assuming the team doesn't earn the No. 1 pick on its own (lack of) merit — to go out and get Arch Manning, whose decision to return to school might open up a race to the bottom in 2027.
Yes, Manning struggled early in the 2025 college season, but over the final five games of the regular season, we finally got to see what he was capable of doing as he averaged 298.6 passing yards per game with 12 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also rushed for three scores and caught a touchdown in that span.
Manning is set for a monster 2026 season. The Browns can roll with Sanders and either one of two things will happen. Either Sanders proves he's "the guy" to finally break Cleveland's generational quarterback curse, or he's such a disaster that the Browns are able to draft their real quarterback of the future in Manning.
Sure, there are scenarios where Sanders is just so-so and the Browns miss out on a quarterback, but that's also kind of just been the case every draft for the franchise ever, minus the time they made the right pick in taking Baker Mayfield only to later mess up by letting him go. Drafting Moore or Simpson isn't that much of an improvement over sticking with Sanders, and taking one of those guys in the top five makes it tougher to justify trading up for Manning in 2027.