The Cleveland Browns added Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in the 2025 NFL draft. However, neither one is guaranteed to pan out.
The selection of Gabriel was considered a reach, and it’s pretty clear that Sanders was not as highly-touted among NFL teams as he was in the media.
Aside from those two, the Browns have Joe Flacco, who is 40 and isn’t a long-term answer at the position, and Kenny Pickett, the former Pittsburgh Steelers draft bust who is far from certain to contribute anything significant.
Of course, Cleveland still has the nightmare that is Deshaun Watson on its hands, but he won’t be playing in 2025 after re-tearing his Achilles, and who knows if he’ll ever play another snap for the Browns.
All of this sets the Browns up to be terrible in 2025, and to be back in the quarterback market in 2026.
With that a reality, Pro Football and Sports Network’s Brently Weissman envisions the Browns owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft and has them selecting Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Sure to be the apple of the 2026 class’s eye, Texas QB Arch Manning goes first overall in this mock draft. Manning hasn’t played a lot of football, but he has all the tools to be a franchise-changing quarterback.
With his poise, accuracy, and athleticism, Manning projects as a future top quarterback at the next level. I will be keen to watch his development as he gets set to play his first year as a starter.
Right now, Manning’s draft stock is really based on his name more than anything else. Granted, he’s shown promise and appears to have all the tools, but Manning’s sample size is incredibly small after sitting behind Quinn Ewers the last two years.
But Manning will now have his opportunity to show he’s more than just a name with Ewers gone.
All that said, there’s no guarantee that Manning will actually come out of college in 2026. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer pointed out, family history suggests he won’t go to the NFL after just one year of starting in college.
Projecting Manning as a prized quarterback prospect is premature, also. There is a long way to go between now and when Manning is drafted, and lest we forget how far Ewers fell in just one year.
At this point, it’s much more realistic to believe Manning will be involved in the 2027 NFL draft than in 2026, which means he’s unlikely to be a Brown next year.
