The 2026 NFL DRAFT QB derby watch!
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So, "allar is a bum" because of his dismal performance loss to Oregon ?
then "manning is a bum" because of his dismal performance against Ohio State?
NO.
Their offenses were playing two of the most dominant defenses in all of college football.
btw, I was also right about Matt Leinart, who Tiam and a few others, labeled as the "most NFL ready pocket passer in college football".
Oh, I admit I ridiculed that. and Matt Leinart was not going to be "another Dan Marino" LOL LOL.
We'll see how the rankings play out.
So, "allar is a bum" because of his dismal performance loss to Oregon ?
then "manning is a bum" because of his dismal performance against Ohio State?
NO.
Their offenses were playing two of the most dominant defenses in all of college football.
btw, I was also right about Matt Leinart, who Tiam and a few others, labeled as the "most NFL ready pocket passer in college football".
Oh, I admit I ridiculed that. and Matt Leinart was not going to be "another Dan Marino" LOL LOL.
We'll see how the rankings play out.
The guy who liked Matt Leinart was Shep quite a while before @tiamat63 arrived. Around the same time though - you were annoying him with your Queer Eye for Charlie Frye. That was harmless fun though...
Regarding Allar, beating up on all those inferior opponents with losing records isn't gonna save James Franklin from getting fired or the perception of Allar when he faces equivalent competition and loses. Beating up Tic Tac Toe Tech doesn't matter at all here. Not ALL his fault; but teams looking for a QB to transcend their program don't want to see as many "yeah but" alibis as you're willing to except for him. This doesn't mean some team can't draft him and have success. It just means the right team has to do it and I'm guessing they need something better than what the Browns have railroaded themselves to at the OT positions for way too long. 3 years of IR at LT had our FO announces they're looking forward to a healthy recovery and getting him back in action. What action? That's been the problem for our big feller that can't even bend at a spot that usually faces the opponent's best pass rusher. WR hasn't gone much better in the draft for this FO just yet. Tillman is a possibility if he can ever stay healthy.
As much as this team finally had it's 1st good draft - the FO neglect on the OL is inexcusable. Bitonio hinted about retiring last year and returned for 1 more year. Teller is going to be expensive to keep. Wypler looks ready to step in at Center if/when needed. No more 32 year old solutions like Cornelius Lucas please or Cam Robinson or poor #72 feeling like he's getting less respect than Rodney Dangerfield ever got. This mess is cloudier than Van in Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke movie.
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FWIW, Dane Brugler of the Athletic has these guys as his top 3 college QBs at the moment.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMy evaluations of Sellers and Mendoza haven’t changed much since the summer. Sellers’ numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he makes plays on each tape that remind you how different he is. One more season in college for the 20-year-old QB’s continued development would be ideal, but he still belongs near the top of this year’s rankings.
After transferring from Cal to Indiana, Mendoza was a top-20 prospect on my summer board, and he hasn’t disappointed. His physical traits aren’t remarkable, but his accuracy and football IQ are evident every time I study his game.
The newcomer here is at No. 1, despite having a smaller sample size. Based on his five starts in 2025, Moore is on a first-round trajectory with a 14-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and numerous plays on tape that scream “NFL quarterback.” There were several times against Penn State when it fell to Moore to rescue his offense, either with his arm or legs.
I’m not bailing on LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, but his eval is currently in limbo because of his injuries. Alabama’s Ty Simpson has only five career starts, but he might finish among the top three quarterbacks based on how he has played so far. And I didn’t grade Penn State’s Drew Allar or Clemson’s Cade Klubnik as first-rounders entering the season, so it should be no surprise neither was in consideration here.
Arch Manning should be viewed as a 2027 (or 2028) prospect at this point.
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FWIW, Dane Brugler of the Athletic has these guys as his top 3 college QBs at the moment.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMy evaluations of Sellers and Mendoza haven’t changed much since the summer. Sellers’ numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he makes plays on each tape that remind you how different he is. One more season in college for the 20-year-old QB’s continued development would be ideal, but he still belongs near the top of this year’s rankings.
After transferring from Cal to Indiana, Mendoza was a top-20 prospect on my summer board, and he hasn’t disappointed. His physical traits aren’t remarkable, but his accuracy and football IQ are evident every time I study his game.
The newcomer here is at No. 1, despite having a smaller sample size. Based on his five starts in 2025, Moore is on a first-round trajectory with a 14-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and numerous plays on tape that scream “NFL quarterback.” There were several times against Penn State when it fell to Moore to rescue his offense, either with his arm or legs.
I’m not bailing on LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, but his eval is currently in limbo because of his injuries. Alabama’s Ty Simpson has only five career starts, but he might finish among the top three quarterbacks based on how he has played so far. And I didn’t grade Penn State’s Drew Allar or Clemson’s Cade Klubnik as first-rounders entering the season, so it should be no surprise neither was in consideration here.
Arch Manning should be viewed as a 2027 (or 2028) prospect at this point.
FWIW, Dane Brugler of the Athletic has these guys as his top 3 college QBs at the moment.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMy evaluations of Sellers and Mendoza haven’t changed much since the summer. Sellers’ numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he makes plays on each tape that remind you how different he is. One more season in college for the 20-year-old QB’s continued development would be ideal, but he still belongs near the top of this year’s rankings.
After transferring from Cal to Indiana, Mendoza was a top-20 prospect on my summer board, and he hasn’t disappointed. His physical traits aren’t remarkable, but his accuracy and football IQ are evident every time I study his game.
The newcomer here is at No. 1, despite having a smaller sample size. Based on his five starts in 2025, Moore is on a first-round trajectory with a 14-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and numerous plays on tape that scream “NFL quarterback.” There were several times against Penn State when it fell to Moore to rescue his offense, either with his arm or legs.
I’m not bailing on LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, but his eval is currently in limbo because of his injuries. Alabama’s Ty Simpson has only five career starts, but he might finish among the top three quarterbacks based on how he has played so far. And I didn’t grade Penn State’s Drew Allar or Clemson’s Cade Klubnik as first-rounders entering the season, so it should be no surprise neither was in consideration here.
Arch Manning should be viewed as a 2027 (or 2028) prospect at this point.
I just happened to watch his hour or so show last night, it was really good!
Problem is, our four top "needs" seem to have question marks if you watch Brugler's video. The quarterback situation has two pretty inexperienced guys at the top who might not even come out, and if they do they won't have a ton of college starts. The top tackles are right tackle first guy and guy who might be a better guard. The top WRs are good but not great. The best cornerback might not even play this season.
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FWIW, Dane Brugler of the Athletic has these guys as his top 3 college QBs at the moment.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMy evaluations of Sellers and Mendoza haven’t changed much since the summer. Sellers’ numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he makes plays on each tape that remind you how different he is. One more season in college for the 20-year-old QB’s continued development would be ideal, but he still belongs near the top of this year’s rankings.
After transferring from Cal to Indiana, Mendoza was a top-20 prospect on my summer board, and he hasn’t disappointed. His physical traits aren’t remarkable, but his accuracy and football IQ are evident every time I study his game.
The newcomer here is at No. 1, despite having a smaller sample size. Based on his five starts in 2025, Moore is on a first-round trajectory with a 14-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and numerous plays on tape that scream “NFL quarterback.” There were several times against Penn State when it fell to Moore to rescue his offense, either with his arm or legs.
I’m not bailing on LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, but his eval is currently in limbo because of his injuries. Alabama’s Ty Simpson has only five career starts, but he might finish among the top three quarterbacks based on how he has played so far. And I didn’t grade Penn State’s Drew Allar or Clemson’s Cade Klubnik as first-rounders entering the season, so it should be no surprise neither was in consideration here.
Arch Manning should be viewed as a 2027 (or 2028) prospect at this point.
1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMoore and Sellers are two excellent qb's, but sophomores, so I don't include them in the next qb derby.
Mendoza - not sure who to compare him to in the pros, but it's a good bet he's a first round pick in 2027. He's a junior. Maybe I'd compare him to Dan Marino, who was 6'4", 224 lbs, and wasn't a scrambler.
Interesting, with Allar struggling a bit, and Manning having some serious troubles, https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/arch-manning-vs-florida-full-breakdown-of-stats-highlights-overall-impact/ar-AA1NY1qC other names come up
. One is red shirt junior Ty Simpson, who is getting a lot of serious attention, and is rocking with Alabama.
It's interesting. Sophomores can't be drafted, (unless they were redshirted?)
but here are is the rule I looked up.
"To be eligible for the NFL Draft, college players must be at least three years removed from high school and have either exhausted their college football eligibility or declared for the draft early. Underclassmen who have completed at least three seasons of college football can also enter the draft as early entrants."
but then, there is this:
"The top quarterback prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft currently include Dante Moore from Oregon, Garrett Nussmeier from LSU, and LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina, with Moore being highlighted for his fluid passing and strong field vision. Rankings may change as the college football season progresses and more games are played.
so, sophomores can be drafted? they are only two years out of hs?
beats me.
but with Manning at #7 and Allar at #8, who knows who the first round picks are really going to end up being.
A good article on the list - Walter Football:
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Sweet 8lb, 6oz baby Jesus.
Reading the above word salad makes me understand why cal needs to have his fantasy football teams auto-drafted for him.
You have to be removed from your graduating class three years to be draft eligible. True sophomores are not eligible because they have only played two years of college ball, but redshirt sophomores are because they were in college for three years. Bernie Kosar was a redshirt sophomore when he came to the Browns in the 1985 supplemental draft.
Moore and Sellers are both redshirt sophomores, so yes simple cal, they are eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, an argument can be made for both that they should go back for another season of college ball, but I digress.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is a redshirt junior. He could go back for one more season after this one, but he might be a first round pick in the upcoming draft.
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In the Alabama vs Vandy Game last week - Ty Simpson looked good enough to make a 5-0 Vandy team 5-1. Very sharp and accurate. Strong arm IMO. He threw his 1st pick of the year.
However, this is his only year as the starter; so I would think coming back for a senior year could give him a shot at being the 1st QB off the board in 2027. EDIT: ESPN Lists him at 6'2" tall to go with very good mobility I saw from him.
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Penn State's season is officially a dumpster fire...
They went into the Oregon game three weeks as a possible national title contender, three losses later they are pretty much out of playoff contention and Drew Allar suffered a season and college career ending injury. It appeared he suffered some kind of ankle(?) injury.
I feel bad for the kid.
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well, Allar is out for the rest of the season. No idea what happened to Penn State. Yep, he came back to win a championship, but it turned into a nightmare.
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Very interesting....
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/2025-heisman-trophy-odds
2025 Heisman Trophy Odds: Fernando Mendoza Surges, Dante Moore Falls
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1. Dante Moore, Oregon
2. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
3. Fernando Mendoza, IndianaMoore and Sellers are two excellent qb's, but sophomores, so I don't include them in the next qb derby.
Mendoza - not sure who to compare him to in the pros, but it's a good bet he's a first round pick in 2027. He's a junior. Maybe I'd compare him to Dan Marino, who was 6'4", 224 lbs, and wasn't a scrambler.
Interesting, with Allar struggling a bit, and Manning having some serious troubles, https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/arch-manning-vs-florida-full-breakdown-of-stats-highlights-overall-impact/ar-AA1NY1qC other names come up
. One is red shirt junior Ty Simpson, who is getting a lot of serious attention, and is rocking with Alabama.
It's interesting. Sophomores can't be drafted, (unless they were redshirted?)
but here are is the rule I looked up.
"To be eligible for the NFL Draft, college players must be at least three years removed from high school and have either exhausted their college football eligibility or declared for the draft early. Underclassmen who have completed at least three seasons of college football can also enter the draft as early entrants."
but then, there is this:
"The top quarterback prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft currently include Dante Moore from Oregon, Garrett Nussmeier from LSU, and LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina, with Moore being highlighted for his fluid passing and strong field vision. Rankings may change as the college football season progresses and more games are played.
so, sophomores can be drafted? they are only two years out of hs?
beats me.
but with Manning at #7 and Allar at #8, who knows who the first round picks are really going to end up being.
A good article on the list - Walter Football:
Moore and Sellers are two excellent qb's, but sophomores, so I don't include them in the next qb derby.
Mendoza - not sure who to compare him to in the pros, but it's a good bet he's a first round pick in 2027. He's a junior. Maybe I'd compare him to Dan Marino, who was 6'4", 224 lbs, and wasn't a scrambler.
Interesting, with Allar struggling a bit, and Manning having some serious troubles, https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/arch-manning-vs-florida-full-breakdown-of-stats-highlights-overall-impact/ar-AA1NY1qC other names come up
. One is red shirt junior Ty Simpson, who is getting a lot of serious attention, and is rocking with Alabama.
It's interesting. Sophomores can't be drafted, (unless they were redshirted?)
but here are is the rule I looked up.
"To be eligible for the NFL Draft, college players must be at least three years removed from high school and have either exhausted their college football eligibility or declared for the draft early. Underclassmen who have completed at least three seasons of college football can also enter the draft as early entrants."
but then, there is this:
"The top quarterback prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft currently include Dante Moore from Oregon, Garrett Nussmeier from LSU, and LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina, with Moore being highlighted for his fluid passing and strong field vision. Rankings may change as the college football season progresses and more games are played.
so, sophomores can be drafted? they are only two years out of hs?
beats me.
but with Manning at #7 and Allar at #8, who knows who the first round picks are really going to end up being.
A good article on the list - Walter Football:
Sellers and Moore are completing their 3rd seasons in college football. Hence they are 3 years removed from HS football and eligible.
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Penn State's season is officially a dumpster fire...
They went into the Oregon game three weeks as a possible national title contender, three losses later they are pretty much out of playoff contention and Drew Allar suffered a season and college career ending injury. It appeared he suffered some kind of ankle(?) injury.
I feel bad for the kid.
Penn State's season is officially a dumpster fire...
They went into the Oregon game three weeks as a possible national title contender, three losses later they are pretty much out of playoff contention and Drew Allar suffered a season and college career ending injury. It appeared he suffered some kind of ankle(?) injury.
I feel bad for the kid.
Yeah that's a tough break! We often forget these college players are still just kids. I got the sense he's a tough kid. If he goes to the right coaching staff, right situation, right expectation - on a team that has studied enough film of him to be ready for what needs work ahead of time (ie: Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen) they already know the difference between growing pains and doesn't have it. This team never knew why they wanted Watson they just knew he was successful so that's why heading into the 3rd year of that fiasco - they were still hiring and firing Offensive Coaches hoping to tailor make the right offense. Film explains the WHY to success or mistakes - while our FO prefers the Pinball Wizard approach.
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Penn State's season is officially a dumpster fire...
They went into the Oregon game three weeks as a possible national title contender, three losses later they are pretty much out of playoff contention and Drew Allar suffered a season and college career ending injury. It appeared he suffered some kind of ankle(?) injury.
I feel bad for the kid.
Yeah that's a tough break! We often forget these college players are still just kids. I got the sense he's a tough kid. If he goes to the right coaching staff, right situation, right expectation - on a team that has studied enough film of him to be ready for what needs work ahead of time (ie: Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen) they already know the difference between growing pains and doesn't have it. This team never knew why they wanted Watson they just knew he was successful so that's why heading into the 3rd year of that fiasco - they were still hiring and firing Offensive Coaches hoping to tailor make the right offense. Film explains the WHY to success or mistakes - while our FO prefers the Pinball Wizard approach.
Yeah that's a tough break! We often forget these college players are still just kids. I got the sense he's a tough kid. If he goes to the right coaching staff, right situation, right expectation - on a team that has studied enough film of him to be ready for what needs work ahead of time (ie: Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen) they already know the difference between growing pains and doesn't have it. This team never knew why they wanted Watson they just knew he was successful so that's why heading into the 3rd year of that fiasco - they were still hiring and firing Offensive Coaches hoping to tailor make the right offense. Film explains the WHY to success or mistakes - while our FO prefers the Pinball Wizard approach.
Not to bring up this dead horse again, but the Browns went all-in on Watson because between 2018-20 he was a top 5 QB. He also had sat out 2021 in an attempt to get traded out of Houston, then all hell broke with all the allegations. By the time he came here and played he had sat for almost two calendar years, and was a mental case because of all the off-field nonsense he caused. (Which is why I didn't want them to go after him. I always thought that he had to be a sociopath to move on from all that negativity and flourish and openly questioned why the Browns wanted to deal with the PR backlash to roll the dice on that. It blew up in their face as we all know). Another problem that doesn't get talked enough regarding that situation is that he and Stefanski were a bad fit. Stefanski is not a RPO guy, so the first two years they tried to play Watson in Stef's offense with poor results, then we got the dumpster fire of an attempt to cater the offense to him. Thankfully, that nonsense is over, but...
I have serious doubts about drafting a guy high this coming draft and putting him with Stefanski. Christ, my high school that has always been a run-first team runs the RPO now. When I went to high school in the early 90s they were still running the ball 90% of the time with a full house offense. What pro-style QBs are coming into the NFL now?
I think this is the end of Kevin Stefanski as head coach in Cleveland. I think Berry survives, but everything the Browns are doing is for them to be a contender when they move to Brookpark. I think they will draft a QB next draft and I just don't see them having Stefanski leading him. I think they will want a new face to start the process with a guy that runs a 2025 offense where WRs aren't just secondary pieces.
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Yeah that's a tough break! We often forget these college players are still just kids. I got the sense he's a tough kid. If he goes to the right coaching staff, right situation, right expectation - on a team that has studied enough film of him to be ready for what needs work ahead of time (ie: Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen) they already know the difference between growing pains and doesn't have it. This team never knew why they wanted Watson they just knew he was successful so that's why heading into the 3rd year of that fiasco - they were still hiring and firing Offensive Coaches hoping to tailor make the right offense. Film explains the WHY to success or mistakes - while our FO prefers the Pinball Wizard approach.
Not to bring up this dead horse again, but the Browns went all-in on Watson because between 2018-20 he was a top 5 QB. He also had sat out 2021 in an attempt to get traded out of Houston, then all hell broke with all the allegations. By the time he came here and played he had sat for almost two calendar years, and was a mental case because of all the off-field nonsense he caused. (Which is why I didn't want them to go after him. I always thought that he had to be a sociopath to move on from all that negativity and flourish and openly questioned why the Browns wanted to deal with the PR backlash to roll the dice on that. It blew up in their face as we all know). Another problem that doesn't get talked enough regarding that situation is that he and Stefanski were a bad fit. Stefanski is not a RPO guy, so the first two years they tried to play Watson in Stef's offense with poor results, then we got the dumpster fire of an attempt to cater the offense to him. Thankfully, that nonsense is over, but...
I have serious doubts about drafting a guy high this coming draft and putting him with Stefanski. Christ, my high school that has always been a run-first team runs the RPO now. When I went to high school in the early 90s they were still running the ball 90% of the time with a full house offense. What pro-style QBs are coming into the NFL now?
I think this is the end of Kevin Stefanski as head coach in Cleveland. I think Berry survives, but everything the Browns are doing is for them to be a contender when they move to Brookpark. I think they will draft a QB next draft and I just don't see them having Stefanski leading him. I think they will want a new face to start the process with a guy that runs a 2025 offense where WRs aren't just secondary pieces.
Not to bring up this dead horse again, but the Browns went all-in on Watson because between 2018-20 he was a top 5 QB. He also had sat out 2021 in an attempt to get traded out of Houston, then all hell broke with all the allegations. By the time he came here and played he had sat for almost two calendar years, and was a mental case because of all the off-field nonsense he caused. (Which is why I didn't want them to go after him. I always thought that he had to be a sociopath to move on from all that negativity and flourish and openly questioned why the Browns wanted to deal with the PR backlash to roll the dice on that. It blew up in their face as we all know). Another problem that doesn't get talked enough regarding that situation is that he and Stefanski were a bad fit. Stefanski is not a RPO guy, so the first two years they tried to play Watson in Stef's offense with poor results, then we got the dumpster fire of an attempt to cater the offense to him. Thankfully, that nonsense is over, but...
I have serious doubts about drafting a guy high this coming draft and putting him with Stefanski. Christ, my high school that has always been a run-first team runs the RPO now. When I went to high school in the early 90s they were still running the ball 90% of the time with a full house offense. What pro-style QBs are coming into the NFL now?
I think this is the end of Kevin Stefanski as head coach in Cleveland. I think Berry survives, but everything the Browns are doing is for them to be a contender when they move to Brookpark. I think they will draft a QB next draft and I just don't see them having Stefanski leading him. I think they will want a new face to start the process with a guy that runs a 2025 offense where WRs aren't just secondary pieces.
I think 1 minute into video below sums it all up for many of us
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So Ty Simpson is an interesting prospect... He is limited in college experience - he doesn't have 250 career pass attempts yet - but he's a redshirt junior who is finally starting for Alabama. (I'll type this real slow for cal, that means he's in his third year of eligibility but fourth year in college. Thus, he could go back to college and play next year).
But he's already piquing the interest of NFL scouts due to his processing ability and intelligence, despite having no elite physical attributes. According to Todd McShay - he's what he thought LSU's Garrett Nussmeier would be this season. (Nussmeier has been battling injuries).
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Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
"When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." Paul Brown -
Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
Fano seems to be a Right Tackle and Simpson if he comes out would have no more than 16 or so college starts.
I'm intrigued by both - but Fano would be a RT taken very high and Simpson would be a QB with relatively little playing experience who because he's coming to the Browns almost guaranteed will play sooner than he should.
This is going to be a weird draft, especially for the Browns. How the Browns biggest needs are playing out isn't exactly falling under the category of "The right guy fell right into the Browns laps".
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Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
Actually, that sounds like a great plan. Fano is terrific, and Simpson is quite a quarterback. It will be confusing, as usual - Fano is listed #3 OT in this list:
https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/positions/OT/1/2026
I wonder if Proctor will be another Wirfs.
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Most recent draft prediction from ESPN has us taking Dante Moore with the first rd1 pick and Carnell Tate with the second.
I'd rather go OT Fano with the first pick and Ty Simpson with the second.
Fano seems to be a Right Tackle and Simpson if he comes out would have no more than 16 or so college starts.
I'm intrigued by both - but Fano would be a RT taken very high and Simpson would be a QB with relatively little playing experience who because he's coming to the Browns almost guaranteed will play sooner than he should.
This is going to be a weird draft, especially for the Browns. How the Browns biggest needs are playing out isn't exactly falling under the category of "The right guy fell right into the Browns laps".
Fano seems to be a Right Tackle and Simpson if he comes out would have no more than 16 or so college starts.
I'm intrigued by both - but Fano would be a RT taken very high and Simpson would be a QB with relatively little playing experience who because he's coming to the Browns almost guaranteed will play sooner than he should.
This is going to be a weird draft, especially for the Browns. How the Browns biggest needs are playing out isn't exactly falling under the category of "The right guy fell right into the Browns laps".
It's a passing era with our favorite team's biggest needs at QB, LT & WR. Surprised? Me neither. Here's Mel Kiper's Mid-October Top 25 Big Board Rankings of 2026 Draft Class. Time to have a little fun with some 2026 1st Round Fore-play even though I'm just getting acquainted with some of these guys My favorite 3 QBs I've seen so far begin with Indiana QB: Fernando Mendoza - He's 6-5 with great vision, poise and accuracy. He's also equipped with an ideal football IQ that led to a lot of good decisions and some impressive runs he made against the Defending Big 10 Camps at their Dump in Oregon. Both of the next 2 guys are dead-even if you ask me and they took a while before it was their turn but it's looking like patience paid off as it may have to again in the NFL: My #2A is Oregon QB Dante Moore - He's 6-3 and here's his college career stats. I've seen him twice against very talented defenses. I like his height, mobility and accuracy. He's a smart kid where the confidence will continue to grow as he gets more starts behind him.
My #2B is Alabama's Ty Simpson. My 1st impression of the poor guy is his 1st start vrs a Florida State team that Alabama wasn't ready for. Not to worry, my second impression of him completely erased my 1st impression when he flawlessly shredded a 5-0 Vanderbilt Defense. This 6'2" QB had everything I didn't want to see in a QB playing a 5-0 Vandy Team I once had season Tix to. Great athlete, very accurate, poised to unstoppable when he's in the zone. He had me swearing in languages that don't exist yet. Here's this feller's stats and he's patiently his time to start since arriving at Alabama. I believe he has eligibility left at Alabama just in Cleveland's situation scares him back into another year.
Our 2nd pick in Round 1 HAS TO BE THE VERY Best LT on our doorstep. Of course that'll be from the Jacksonville Jaguars pick and that will probably be a wild card playoff team this season. You can either protect your 1st round investment at QB or continue to be the Cleveland Browns and go after a WR in what is already being hailed as a very deep WR draft.
Here's 2 guys I think we got a shot at. The 1st guy is Miami's Francis Mauigoa but unfortunately he's playing RT this season (but has been great at pass pro and run-blocking). ARRRGGHHH, sorry I thought he was a LT though. Utah's Spencer Fano is one that keeps being brought up on our board that can play RT or LT and I'm bummed I didn't stay up to watch Utah rathouse ASU last Saturday. This is from a May 15th Big Board Ranking of the 2026 NFL Top 50 Draft Prospects from SI's Daniel Flick. I added in Bama's LT Kadyn Proctor last because I think he'll be gone when we have our 2nd pick. I also think he'll have many of the same problems Dawand Jones encountered like bending and keeping his weight under control.
8. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
Mauigoa carries a well-built frame at 6' 6" and 315 pounds, and he’s a brick wall in pass protection. Mauigoa, who allowed only one sack and one quarterback hit in 2024, has a strong base and terrific anchor. His hands strike inside, and he effectively ends the rep when he latches on—his grip strength is outstanding, and he has the bend in his lower half to handle power rushers. Against speed, Mauigoa is quick out of his stance and smooth in his kick slide, and he has the burst to reach landmarks in time. He shows the ability to re-direct and finish on defensive ends as a run blocker, but he doesn’t consistently generate movement and can be displaced at the point of attack too often. Mauigoa is a potent puller who can get to spots, though he’s not overly twitchy in space. A former five-star recruit and two-year starter at right tackle, Mauigoa has the physical profile of a strong side-only blocker, but he should be a good one.
4. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Proctor is a monstrous blindside blocker who stands 6' 7" and 360 pounds. He’s further along as a run blocker than pass protector. Proctor generates consistent movement off the snap and is linearly explosive, allowing him to work to the second level and pick up linebackers. In pass protection, when Proctor gets his hands in position and steadies his base, the rep is usually over. His hands can be loopy at times, slowing his punch while leading to inconsistent hand placement. Balance is an issue—he ends up on the ground far more often than he should, and his pad level varies. Proctor has the size, power, anchor and athleticism to be an early pick in 2025.
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