The opening week of the NFL season is in the books as the Cleveland Browns came up just short, losing by one point to the Cincinnati Bengals. On the college football side, there were some impressive quarterback performances, but a couple of the top guys underwhelmed after good games to start the season last week.
Here's a look at some of the performances of the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class as the Cleveland Browns watch closely in preparation to try to find their franchise quarterback next April.
John Mateer, Oklahoma
Vs. #15 Michigan: 21/34, 270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 19 carries, 72 yards, 2 TDs
Preseason Positional Ranking: 5
Facing off against Michigan in primetime, Oklahoma needed its quarterback, John Mateer, to put the offense on his back to get the win, and that is exactly what he did. Mateer has all the talent to be an NFL quarterback; he has a great arm who can make every throw on the field, and he is a great athlete who can extend plays and run for yards, which was on display this weekend, including three big-time throws.
Mateer is a wild man at times; he is a gunslinger, and his decision-making has got to be better, but with his arm talent, his mentality works out for him more often than not. The biggest question is whether his mentality and recklessness will translate to success at the next level. He didn't get a lot of help from the run game against Michigan; he was the team's leading rusher by almost 50 yards. As a team, outside of Mateer, Oklahoma, had 20 carries for 64 yards.
Mateer is a gamer and the kind of leader that teammates want to rally around, and he showed against a good Michigan defense that he can carry an offense to a win. He will do whatever it takes to win, even if that means leading the team in both rushing and passing. Now it's time to see if he can continue to improve his decision-making, but it was an excellent performance from Mateer.
And on the very next play, John Mateer hits Isaiah Sategna for 46 yards! #Sooners https://t.co/jT2Ya8UEi9 pic.twitter.com/FcY5KSldqB
— Im not a fan of your favorite team (@fsh733) September 7, 2025