On Sunday, Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in Cleveland's game against the Baltimore Ravens, forcing the team to turn to its backup quarterback: rookie Shedeur Sanders. It was a good lesson for general managers that having two rookie quarterbacks atop your depth chart is a really bad idea.
Sanders looked completely out of his depth in his NFL debut. The former Colorado star was just 4-for-16 for 47 yards with an interception. He was sacked twice, losing 27 yards on those sacks. It was, uhh ... man, I don't even know a nice way to say what it was. It was bad. It was real bad, and the Browns now have some strong evidence to suggest that Sanders isn't some future diamond in the rough.
Considering Gabriel hasn't been good either, the Browns find themselves in the most familiar spot the franchise has always been in: looking for a quarterback. Will the 2026 NFL Draft be the moment that the decades-long search for a long-term starter finally ends? Let's look ahead to next spring and try to fix the Cleveland Browns.
Round 1, Pick 3: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
At the moment, the Browns are set to draft third overall, behind only the Titans and Giants. Both of those teams drafted a quarterback last year so they likely won't be in the market for one in 2026.
Now, those teams could trade down, allowing quarterback-needy teams to jump the Browns in the draft order. Cleveland could also stumble into some wins and end up drafting behind two teams that do need quarterbacks, the Saints and Jets. At the moment, though, the Browns are in position to do something we've waited for since 1999: draft a franchise quarterback.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza isn't a sure thing, but he's the closest to it in this class. He understands the game at a high level and has an arm that can make any throw he's asked to make, as well as functional athleticism to escape the pass rush. If the Browns are on the clock and Mendoza is on the board, it would be one of the worst decisions ever to pass on him for anyone else.
Round 1, Pick 20: Carnell Tate, Ohio State
The Travis Hunter trade last year landed the Browns an extra first round pick in this year's draft, which the team can use to give its new quarterback a weapon.
Carnell Tate is the next in a long line of Ohio State receivers to take the NFL by storm. He might not have the pure upside of current teammate Jeremiah Smith — a potential candidate to be drafted No. 1 overall in 2027 — but he's a skilled route-runner who could be an ideal No. 2 option in the NFL. Yes, the Browns would still need a long-term No. 1 option, but that's a can that can be kicked down the road another year. Heck, maybe they'll be bad enough to land Smith in 2027?
Round 2, Pick 37: Connor Lew, Auburn
Offensive line is a concern for the Browns. In theory, the second first-round pick could be used on Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor, but I don't think he drops that far.
With this pick, the Browns could go any number of ways. I like Connor Lew because he's probably the second-best interior lineman in this class after Penn State's Vega Ioane, but Oregon tackle Isaiah World and Iowa tackle Gennings Dunker could be in play here as well.
Whoever the pick is, it should be an offensive lineman. Cleveland needs to put together a line that can keep its rookie quarterback out of the dirt, and if we assume the team goes wide receiver in the second round for the aforementioned reasons, there's no way you can justify not adding a lineman here.
Round 3, Pick 68: Chris Johnson, San Diego State
The Browns need cornerback help. Tyson Campbell is the highest-rated corner on the roster per PFF grades, and he ranks 45th at the position in PFF grade. Myles Harden is 78th and Denzel Ward is 95th.
Now, the Ward ranking feels off. Maybe this isn't the best season of his career, but Ward is still a top 10 corner in the league going forward. The problem is that right now, the strategy of "throw at whoever is being covered by the other corners" is a viable one when facing Cleveland. The team needs talent across from him.
Enter San Diego State's Chris Johnson. Sure, he might need to put on a little muscle to succeed in the NFL, but the ball skills are there, and he's got the athleticism to work as an outside corner. He's not a sure thing, but taking a shot on him in the third to pair with Ward would be a smart decision for this front office.