The Cleveland Browns fell to 2-8 following Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a game that featured both rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
In this past NFL draft, the Browns selected Gabriel in the third round out of Oregon and Sanders in the fifth round out of Colorado. Both began the season on the bench behind veteran Joe Flacco.
After Cleveland traded Flacco, Gabriel took over as the starter and has performed largely as expected for a rookie quarterback in an offense without a wealth of weapons. Sanders, however, is now expected to see more playing time after entering last week's game when Gabriel suffered a concussion. Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday that Sanders will start in Week 12.
Despite these developments, ESPN's Matt Miller predicts that the Browns, who are currently slated in the top three picks if the season ended today, will select a quarterback in the upcoming draft to be the future of the franchise, potentially replacing both Gabriel and Sanders.
Miller's mock draft has the Browns trading up from the No. 3 spot to No. 2 to select Oregon Ducks QB Dante Moore, while the New York Jets are projected to trade up with the Tennessee Titans to draft Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.
"The Browns' many attempts to find a franchise quarterback have failed, so it's back to the drawing board," Miller wrote. "Moore started five games at UCLA in 2023 before transferring to Oregon and sitting behind Dillon Gabriel - whom he'd actually be replacing here - in 2024. Moore has played with poise and touch this season, completing 72.8% of his passes for 2,190 yards and 21 touchdowns to five interceptions, while showing excellent arm talent.
"He isn't a shoo-in to declare for 2026, given his limited experience (15 starts), but Moore's ability to make tough throws from messy pockets would fit in Cleveland," Miller added. "Moore alone wouldn't be a quick fix, but pairing him with RB Quinshon Judkins and TE Harold Fannin Jr. would give the Browns a young, high-energy offense."
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