Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Cleveland Browns have early picks available in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they’re looking at quarterbacks.
It’s not exactly the strongest class for the position, but the prospects are enough to warrant a look for a team like the Browns that’s entering the draft with two first-round picks, the No. 6 overall (their own) and Jacksonville’s No. 24 pick.
Uninspiring QB Room, New Staff May Push Browns To Draft Yet Another QB
Even though the Browns are in a position to take one of the top quarterback options in this year’s class, it may be more beneficial for them to wait until the middle or late rounds and select a player like Penn State’s Drew Allar.
In 2025, the Browns selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Then, Shedeur Sanders fell all the way to them in the fifth round, and they also pounced on a player who had once been considered a top-five overall pick.
Both received playing time and starting opportunities on a troubled Browns team that never truly contended for the postseason. Neither proved enough to definitely dissuade team brass from continuing their search. So, here they are again.
It would shock many if Fernando Mendoza, fresh off winning the Heisman Trophy and the first-ever national championship in Indiana University history, were not the first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.
After him, PFSN has Alabama’s Ty Simpson ranked as the second-best quarterback available in the draft. Realistically, Simpson could be there for Cleveland in the No. 24 spot.
With a new coaching staff in place, the Browns may be willing to invest a first-round pick on a quarterback. If not, however, Allar could be there in the later rounds and prove to ultimately be a better fit.
“Could Ty Simpson be somebody that really intrigues them? Possibly. Would I be surprised if they take him in the 1st round? Yes I would. What I think is more likely is a guy like Drew Allar. I could see them taking a flyer in the 3rd or 4th round.”
📞@NathanZegura on if the… pic.twitter.com/jFGeU7hdnT
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) March 13, 2026
Allar spent four seasons with the Nittany Lions, completing 201 of 316 passes (63.6 percent) for 2,450 yards with 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while adding 77 carries for 247 yards and five additional scores.
Analyst Believes Browns Better Off Taking “Flyer” on Drew Allar Late Than Selecting Ty Simpson Early
Nathan Zegura, color analyst for the Cleveland Browns, suggested on Cleveland’s 92.3 The Fan that the Browns “could” take quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the 2026 draft, but it would surprise him if they did.
Zegura believes Allar is actually the better option for the Browns because of the organization’s familiarity with him.
Zegura suggests that the Browns were “very, very high” on Allar in 2024. They like what they saw from Allar in his junior season at Penn State. Zegura believes that had Allar come out after that year, there is a “good chance” he would be on the Browns roster already.
Allar broke his ankle in an October game against Northwestern, ending his senior season. However, he participated in this month’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis and threw in front of NFL scouts.
PFSN predicts Allar will be a fourth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Cleveland has the 107th overall selection, which is the seventh pick in the fourth round. If they hold off on selecting a quarterback before then and Allar is still available, they could be inclined to make the selection.
