The Cleveland Browns will most likely enter the season with four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.
They also have Deshaun Watson, who might be healthy enough to suit up at some point in the season.
However, that doesn’t mean they’re all set at the position.
If anything, they might go right back to the drawing board in the 2026 NFL Draft and use one of their two first-round picks — or both — to land their quarterback for the future.
With that in mind, ESPN analyst Field Yates had them taking Texas star Arch Manning with the No. 1 selection in his latest 2026 mock draft:
“Manning has a very good build, throws with accuracy to all levels of the field and shows solid movement traits. He’s a different QB than his uncles Peyton and Eli were in that he is a threat with his legs. He is inexperienced and needs to add more weight to his 6-foot-4 frame, but it’s easy to see his immense ceiling. I know the Browns just drafted two passers this year, but if they are picking first overall next year, then yes, they’ll be taking a quarterback,” Yates said.
The first thing that comes to mind is that, in this scenario, the Browns either packaged both of their draft picks to get the No. 1 pick or they finished the season with the worst record in the league.
The second scenario seems less likely.
Whatever the case, Manning has all the traits that any team would love to have in its franchise quarterback.
Nevertheless, we’ve already seen his family pull the necessary strings to make sure that they’re not taken by teams they don’t want to play for.
So, even if Manning were to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns would have to be sure that he’s willing to play for them before even considering taking him.
Those are two big ifs, but from a football standpoint, there’s no doubt that the young Manning has the potential to follow in his uncles’ footsteps and hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy as well.
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