Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Getty
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
The Cleveland Browns do not have a clear-cut starting quarterback with the NFL draft approaching, but it still appears unlikely the team will turn to a rookie as its long-term answer under center.
With the draft set for April, Cleveland is armed with two first-round picks and 10 total selections. One name frequently linked to the Browns is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is widely viewed as the No. 2 passer in the class behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
Still, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com does not believe Simpson is currently a serious option for Cleveland in the first round. That could change, however, if he slides further than expected.
“You can never say never in this situation. Right now, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I don’t believe they’re going to draft Ty Simpson,” Cabot said. “I think he’s going to go in the first round and I don’t know if they view him that way. Now, if he slips a bit and he’s there at No. 39 or later in the draft, maybe they do that.”
The Browns currently have Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel under contract for next season. Cleveland has dubbed it an open competition, although Sanders has been established as the early frontrunner.
Dan Orlovsky Tabs Ty Simpson as Top Quarterback in Draft
While Mendoza is expected to be the first quarterback selected, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently made the case that Simpson is the best quarterback in the class.
“I think Ty Simpson is QB1. I think Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in this class, I think he’s surgical throwing, like, real NFL concepts down the field. He’s phenomenal down in the red zone,” Orlovsky said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “When you watch him, when I watch him, I see so much of Brock Purdy. The layered throws, the intermediate game, that ball that’s 15, 20 yards down the field, it’s consistently in the right place.”
The Browns also have a built-in connection to Simpson. Head coach Todd Monken knows the Alabama quarterback and his family well, something he discussed at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
“I like Ty,” Monken said. “I liked Ty when he was coming out. When I first got to Georgia, they hadn’t offered him and I went up there and talked to his dad. In fact, his dad, Jason, is a Southern Miss alum and I was the head coach at Southern Miss. So we got to know them really well. Really fond of Ty, obviously really good football player. Fired up for him because in today’s day and age, for him to stay as long as he did at Alabama and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback is pretty cool.”
Wide Receiver Bigger Priority for Browns
Even with the ongoing uncertainty at quarterback, the Browns appear more likely to use their early draft capital on pass-catchers. Cabot said Cleveland has been heavily focused on wide receivers throughout the pre-draft process and could come away with multiple additions.
“Right now, I don’t think so. For my money now, I’m looking at the receivers in the draft. This is a deep receiver draft. They have brought a lot of those guys in for their top 30 visits. They’re looking hard at these guys,” Cabot said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they took two receivers in this draft. At least one premier receiver that can start for you and maybe a premier tight end. You can always supplement later, depending on what shakes out after the draft and June 1.”
Cleveland’s receiver room combined for just 1,467 receiving yards last season, the lowest total in the NFL.