The Cleveland Browns traded a 5th-round draft pick for Kenny Pickett earlier in the offseason, but that’s not enough to convince this rabid fanbase that their long-standing quarterback woes are all solved.
The Browns only have Deshaun Watson and his $72.9 million cap hit and twice-torn Achilles in the QB room alongside Pickett, which is why many (including one team legend) are pleading for the team to draft a certain quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick.
In a recent episode of The Hanford Dixon Show, former Browns legend Hanford Dixon stressed that he isn’t a fan of potentially drafting Penn State pass-rushing phenom Abdul Carter with the second overall pick and would prefer a quarterback.
“If we did that, we would probably have to depend on Pickett…we still don’t have that franchise quarterback, and in order to win in the National Football League, you have to have a franchise quarterback, and we don’t have it.”
The Top Dawg isn't a fan of drafting Abdul Carter…
"No…we have to go with a quarterback at that number two pick."
–@HanfordDixon29
Find @drinkgaragebeer near you: https://t.co/ynyXCsXAqS pic.twitter.com/5OAfGx4b03
— The Hanford Dixon Show (@TopDawgShow) March 28, 2025
All discussions about a quarterback at the No. 2 slot begin and end with Shedeur Sanders since all signs are pointing to the Tennessee Titans being locked into Cam Ward at No. 1.
Jaxson Dart is getting plenty of love in recent mock drafts, but the Browns have a crucial, franchise-defining decision to make about Sanders.
Cleveland’s front office has to decide if it likes Sanders enough to make him the next franchise QB or if they want to wait and use one of its nine other draft picks on a QB.
Later in the draft, the Browns could look to a guy like Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, or Will Howard as a potential risky high-ceiling type of prospect, and they’ll have to decide if that’s worth passing on Sanders in order to pair Carter with Myles Garrett to form one of the league’s scariest pass-rushing duos.
Passing on Sanders would be a risky proposition for a franchise that has struggled forever to find a franchise QB, and if they pass on him and he turns out to be great, it’s going to create another nightmare situation for a fanbase that has been through enough.
NEXT: Analyst Believes Browns Have Made A Decision About Shedeur Sanders