Insider Names Top 5 College QBs Browns Should Be Scouting

The higher the Cleveland Browns climb in the standings, the lower they fall in the 2027 NFL Draft order. That is fine for now, but if the victories don’t pay off in a playoff berth, it could be viewed as a costly outcome when the Browns are preparing for the selection process.

Fortunately, Cleveland has an additional first-round pick, which was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Myles Garrett trade. So the Browns could package the pair to move up if there is a quarterback available that they want.

As he does weekly throughout the season, insider Tony Grossi named his top five college QBs that the Browns should be scouting, with familiar names on the list.

“We have the first week of no changes in Tony Grossi’s top 5 college QBs that are on his radar for the Browns in the 2027 draft: 1. Darian Mensah, 2. CJ Carr, 3. Jayden Maiava, 4. Arch Manning, 5. Drew Mestemaker,” ESPN Cleveland posted.

We have the first week of no changes in @TonyGrossi’s top 5 college QBs that are on his radar for the Browns in the 2027 draft 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/Krth6IPPtK

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) October 6, 2026

Mensah may be out of reach for the Browns if they do not wind up with one of the top two picks. After transferring to the University of Miami from Duke, he has emerged as the top prospect in this class, with 15 touchdowns and 21 incompletions over the first five games. In a recent mock draft, he was projected to be the No. 3 overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals.

Interestingly, Carr, of Notre Dame, was not included in the first round of that mock, with the expectation that he will play another college season, as would Mestemaker at Oklahoma State. Carr is not as statistically impressive as the others on Grossi’s list, but his team is ranked No. 3 in the country, and he is 15-2 in his 17 career starts.

Moving to Manning, he was also left out of the first round, with the Browns taking Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin at No. 31 overall, with the pick from the Rams. It is difficult to believe Cleveland would pass on Manning if he is available, considering how much owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly covets him.

The Browns might remain interested in finding a franchise QB no matter how this season turns out, so it is worth following these players and some others as the campaign moves along.