The Cleveland Browns currently own the No. 3 pick in a 2026 NFL draft that, contrary to popular belief earlier this season, may provide just two franchise-caliber quarterbacks in the first round.
Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus projected on Monday, December 22 that the Miami Dolphins will trade up into the top spot with the New York Giants and select Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana.
Miami’s interest in a QB at the top of the draft is a new development, after the team benched $212 million signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa for seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15. Tagovailoa is now the subject of cut rumors, despite the massive financial hit that move represents to the Dolphins organization across multiple years.
“It’s obvious that Miami is in the market for a new quarterback,” McGuinness wrote. “In this mock draft, they get aggressive to move up for one.”
He then projected that the Las Vegas Raiders remain at No. 2 and draft a QB of their own, which is a highly probable proposition given the state of the quarterback room in the desert.
“With Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett earning PFF passing grades of 62.0 and 58.9, respectively, this season, it’s obvious that the Raiders need to invest in a quarterback,” McGuinness continued, suggesting Dante Moore of Oregon as that player.
This is all good news for Browns’ starter Shedeur Sanders, who will probably face legitimate competition for the QB1 role next spring/summer, but not necessarily from a first-round pick in whom the Browns have invested tens of millions of dollars and a top-line draft asset.
That translates into a considerably better chance for Sanders to keep the starting role through at least the beginning of the 2026 campaign.
Shedeur Sanders Could Surprise Browns With Full Offseason of First-Team Work
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Sanders has assured media and fans repeatedly that all he needs is a real chance to develop in the system.
“But man, a win is crazy. It’s amazing, you know, after one week of practice,” Sanders told Tiffany Blackmon of CBS Sports on the field following a victory over the Raiders on November 23. “So imagine, you know, what a full offseason look like. It get dangerous.”
Sanders (1-4) has not been overtly bad this season, though Cleveland has been — both with and without him under center. He has completed just 55.1 percent of his passes, which is problematic, and thrown for 1,103 yards, six TDs and eight INTs.
Opposing defenses have sacked Sanders 15 times in 5.5 games played. Holding onto the football too long was a fault for which several analysts dinged Sanders in the pre-draft process, but some of those issues this year are due to Cleveland fielding the second-worst offensive line in the league heading into Week 16, per Pro Football Focus.
Browns’ Elite 2025 Draft Class Argues for Cleveland to Keep as Many Picks as Possible
GettyLinebacker Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns probably don’t want to wait on adding a franchise QB, and it is far from certain that Sanders can develop into one. But giving him a chance to do so in 2026 and using two first-round picks, plus another eight draft selections overall, to build out the roster around Sanders is a strategy that offers a good deal of potential upside to the Browns.
Cleveland’s front office crushed the 2025 draft, with big hits on running back Quinshon Judkins, defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on Sanders.
The Browns could flip the Nos. 3 and 27 picks (subject to change over final two weeks of season), to the Giants to move up two spots. Though it might cost even more than that, as McGuinness predicted the Dolphins will send New York pick Nos. 10 and 44 in 2026, as well as a first-rounder and a second-rounder in 2027 to move up for Mendoza.
Todd McShay of The Ringer noted on the December 17 edition of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that considering the quarterbacks who might have come out in 2026 but are planning to return to college next season — such as Arch Manning and LaNorris Sellers, just to name a couple — the 2027 draft could end up the deepest at the quarterback position in recent memory.
Browns Missing Out on Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore Could Prove Best Longterm Outcome
GettyIndiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Mendoza probably doesn’t make the Browns a playoff contender next season anyway. But another elite draft class and another year of player development, plus the erasure of Deshaun Watson’s contract from the books after 2026, should put Cleveland in good position heading into 2027.
The Browns can find a viable veteran QB in free agency and let him, whoever he is, compete with Sanders alongside Watson and Dillon Gabriel for the starting job.
If Sanders proves out, Cleveland can revisit whether drafting a signal-caller in 2027 is even necessary. If he doesn’t, that probably means a good pick for the Browns in a much deeper class at the game’s most important position.
So, while missing out on the top two QBs in the 2026 class isn’t ideal for Cleveland next season, it might be the best thing for the franchise longterm.
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