The Cleveland Browns are benefitting from a strong 2025 NFL Draft class with their top rookies delivering both on defense, in the passing game and running the ball. The missing piece is at quarterback.
With the team at 1-2 and coming off an upset win over the mighty Green Bay Packers, the Browns are surviving with Joe Flacco under center, and it appears a matter of time before they turn to either Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders at quarterback. If either of those rookies can jumpstart the offense, the 2025 NFL Draft class could go down in history as one of the best for the Browns.
Of course, if Sunday’s win was just one of the any given Sunday flukes in the NFL, the Browns could still land a top five pick even with the talent from the rookie class which would turn the attention to the 2026 NFL Draft that is filled with QB talent. With two first round picks, potential picks that could land in the top 10, can the Browns land their franchise guy?
In his latest mock draft, CBS Sportswriter Mike Renner has the Browns selecting No. 1 overall and the prize quarterback isn’t who you think.
Browns land emerging QB prospect with No. 1 overall pick
If Arch Manning declares for the 2026 NFL Draft, he is or at least was considered the prize of the draft, but there’s another quarterback turning heads in college football and his name is Fernando Mendoza.
A favorite here at NFL Mocks, Mendoza has been getting it done at Indiana through Week 4. After a five-touchdown performance against No. 9 ranked Illinois this past Saturday is passing his way up NFL Draft boards and all the way up to No. 1 overall in this CBS NFL Mock Draft.
Renner writes:
“I had Mendoza No. 1 overall in my preseason mock draft, and after passing his first real test against Illinois over the weekend with flying colors, that's not changing. The Cal transfer finished with 17 straight completions against the No. 9 Illini and now has 14 passing touchdowns (16 total) with no picks on the season.”
In a mock draft in which quarterbacks aren’t dominating the first ten picks, Renner has Garrett Nussmeier, John Mateer and Dante Moore as the next quarterbacks off the board. Through the first 5 weeks of the CFS, it’s hard to disagree with the pick or the fit.
Mendoza is a pocket quarterback who stands in under pressure and delivers with accuracy. He has sneaky athleticism that allows him to both extend plays with his feet and scramble out of the pocket. On a Browns team with young players like running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson along with tight end Harold Fannin Jr., Mendoza will walk into a situation where he could be highly successful.
On the flipside, Mendoza is also a gunslinger who is still growing as a quarterback. He had a big game against Illinois, but there is still more to prove against better competition.
NFL Mocks lands Cade Klubnik in Cleveland
Although NFL Mocks has been high on Mendoza, he was not in the top 10 of our latest full round mock draft. Of course, that Mock was prior to Mendoza’s great performance vs Illinois. If was also before Cade Klubnik and Clemson slipped to 1-3. In linking Klubnik to the Browns with the No. 4 overall pick, it’s the arm talent of the Clemson star that makes him a player who should still be high on most team’s lists.
In this mock draft, I write:
“Although Klubnik’s team is not off to a hot start and he has struggled himself early in the season, the talent of Klubnik will be tough to avoid as one of the top 5 quarterbacks off the board. The Browns may be settling here, but he’s a better option with a higher ceiling than either Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel.”
The Browns should find success with either quarterback, but the wild card or wild cards here are Gabriel or Sanders who can change the entire 2026 NFL Draft if either of them comes in and sparks the offense. Given their history with quarterbacks, that still might not stop the Browns from adding another, maybe just not as high in the draft if they think they got the guy in either of the rookie QBs selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.