The Cleveland Browns have two first-round picks in 2026. They also have obvious needs on offense, starting with left tackle and wide receiver.
However, some argue that they might not be set at quarterback, either. That’s why Alabama’s Ty Simpson has been floated as a potential first-round selection, be it at No. 6, No. 24, or by trading up or down from one of those spots.
Notably, that list doesn’t include NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. Talking to ESPN insider Field Yates, Kiper listed the teams that should keep tabs on Simpson. When asked about the Browns, he argued that they already had a better prospect in their hands:
“The Jets have to be figuring out Ty Simpson, the Steelers have to figure out Ty Simpson, and now, certainly, Arizona has to (figure out); to trade back and get him,” Kiper told Yates. “The Browns don’t have to worry about Ty Simpson. They got a better quarterback than Ty Simpson in Shedeur Sanders. Don’t go there.”
Kiper has been one of Sanders’ strongest supporters from day one, even going on multiple rants throughout the course of the 2025 NFL Draft when he continued to slip.
New Browns head coach Todd Monken has ties to Simpson, even trying to recruit him out of high school. He also said that the Browns would host a QB competition in training camp, even though they didn’t add another guy to the mix in the early days of free agency.
That said, this quarterback class is far from impressive, especially when compared to previous years. As such, the Browns might be tempted to roll the dice on the young quarterback they already have in the building instead of using a valuable first-round selection to test their luck with an inexperienced signal-caller with less than 20 career starts under his belt.
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