Secondly, the Browns must continue seeking out their franchise QB until they find him. It remains to be seen where the team will wind up picking in next year's draft, but they do have an extra first-round pick, giving them at least the potential option of trading up for someone. At this point, the top three prospects seem to be Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Oregon's Dante Moore, and Alabama's Ty Simpson. Mendoza is a three-year starter who has broken out as the frontrunner for QB1 thanks to an incredibly efficient season with the Hoosiers, who are on a collision course with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big 10 Championship Game. Mendoza and the Hoosiers already took care of Moore and the Oregon Ducks; if Mendoza can play well against the best defense and the best team in the country, that may cement his status as QB1 and put him out of reach of the Browns.
Moore started for the UCLA Bruins as a freshman in 2023, but struggled and transferred to Oregon, where he sat behind Dillon Gabriel last year. In 2025, he's shown a lot of growth, and seems to be positioning himself as a top-10 selection. Moore will have two years of starting experience, but not two years of starting success like Maye had.
Simpson is a first-year starter, and while he's been extremely impressive, there will be concerns about his lack of experience and comparisons to Mac Jones, who also started for one year before moving on to the NFL.
Among all qualifying quarterbacks in college football this year, Moore is eighth in passing grade under pressure, Mendoza is 34th, and Simpson is 46th. A good grade under pressure is not a guarantee that a prospect works out, but a poor grade is a big point of concern. None of the top three are concerningly low, but Moore's performance is quite encouraging.
There are other prospects who could potentially become first-round picks, but these are the top three as we pass the halfway point of the college football season.