The Cleveland Browns have one of the most crowded quarterback rooms in football. With Deshaun Watson expected to miss the 2025 season as he rehabs from surgery due to a torn Achilles’ tendon, Cleveland brought in a plethora of new faces to the quarterback room.
The team traded for Kenny Pickett, signed Joe Flacco, and added Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the draft. The selections of Gabriel and Sanders give the Browns two players with potential in the position group, but both players have uphill battles to earn the starting job.
There’s a good chance the Browns will be back in the quarterback market next offseason, as Pickett and Flacco will be free agents after this season, and neither of the young quarterbacks in Gabriel nor Sanders may establish themselves as long-term answers. That is why Cooper Girolamo of Mike Farrell Sports predicts Cleveland will use their Round 1 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft on Penn State signal-caller Drew Allar.
“The Browns likely would have taken Allar second overall this year had he declared for the draft so they would likely sprint to the podium to draft him a year from now. Allar has all of the physical and mental tools to be the league’s next Josh Allen,” Girolamo wrote.
Allar had a solid junior campaign in 2024, as he tossed 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions and added six scores on the ground. He had Penn State within one game of the College Football National Championship last year, as the Nittany Lions narrowly fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals.
Though he is still developing as a passer, Allar has improved as a thrower every year. His completion percentage jumped from 59.9% in 2023 to 66.5% in 2024, and he looked way more comfortable in the pocket last season. Allar should continue to improve in that area in 2025.
Allar’s size at 6-foot-5 and nearly 240 pounds has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen, and his physical traits are what make him an exciting prospect at the next level. The Ohio native should be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft and could be a potential option for Cleveland if Sanders and Gabriel underwhelm in their rookie campaigns.
