Browns’ Latest Prediction Would Replace Shedeur Sanders

ESPN draft analyst Field Yates projects the Browns will select Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, viewing him as the franchise’s long-term answer rather than Shedeur Sanders.

Yates offered the early mock draft assessment on the “First Draft” podcast, recorded well before the 2026 college season even begins. He acknowledged plenty can change by next April but said Cleveland’s current quarterback situation already signals how the front office views Sanders.

The Browns open the 2026 season with Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starter and Sanders listed behind him. Dillon Gabriel, who impressed most in the preseason, is headed to injured reserve. Athletic rookie Taylen Green sits third on the depth chart.

Most observers expect Sanders eventually to take over from Watson. Yates does not believe the team sees Sanders as the long-term solution.

“If they win the national championship, how much more could you beef up your draft stock as CJ Carr, despite just two seasons of starting in college? He might have 28 starts to his name. That’s enough teams are going to be comfortable with him,” Yates said.

“I am going CJ Carr, strongly built, accurate throwing quarterback—OK not a dynamic athlete, but a good enough athlete, very mature young man. Give me CJ Carr at No. 3 for the Cleveland Browns.”

Yates pointed to the Browns’ decision to start Watson against Jacksonville as the clearest indication of their thinking.

“I think they’ve already told us how they feel about the quarterbacks in their room,” Yates said. “If they’re picking third, they’re going to pick a quarterback. They named Deshaun Watson their quarterback for Week 1. If they believed—and I am just, this is my read and you feel about Shedeur is obviously different.

“But if the Browns felt that Shedeur Sanders was their long-term quarterback, he’d be starting Week 1. They just would be. They’d be saying, hey who cares about getting Deshaun Watson reps?”

Some around the team have suggested Cleveland wants to give Watson a chance to regain form after two Achilles injuries and will then turn to Sanders. In that scenario the staff could use the early weeks to help Sanders process Todd Monken’s offense faster.

Yates rejected that interpretation. He said a team that truly believed in Sanders as its future starter would have named him the Week 1 quarterback and given Watson only a backup role.

Carr completed his freshman season at Notre Dame with 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks has listed him as the No. 2 candidate on his early Heisman Trophy watch list, behind Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Brooks wrote of Carr: “While it is unlikely Carr will produce the kind of eye-popping numbers that observers typically expect from quarterbacks who win the award, there is something magical about his leadership skills and clutch play that could separate him from the rest of the pack. … This crafty playmaker — who is the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr — will have a chance to show voters that he is the straw that stirs the drink for a high-profile team with serious national title aspirations.”

Yates noted that Carr still has limited starting experience. He said a strong Notre Dame season, especially one that ends with a national championship, would erase most of those questions for NFL teams.

The Browns currently sit in position to pick third in next year’s draft under Yates’ early projection. That slot would give them the chance to take Carr if they decide Sanders is not the quarterback they want to build around for the next decade.

Cleveland’s unusual quarterback room has drawn attention throughout the preseason. Watson’s health, Sanders’ development and the unexpected emergence of Gabriel created a crowded picture that Yates believes will be resolved by adding another young passer next spring.

Carr’s combination of size, accuracy and maturity is what Yates likes most at this early stage. He described the Notre Dame product as “not a dynamic athlete, but a good enough athlete” who already carries himself like a veteran.

Whether the Irish contend for a title will determine how high Carr’s stock climbs. Yates said 28 career starts would be enough for most clubs to feel comfortable selecting him near the top of the draft.

For now the Browns are proceeding with Watson under center and Sanders waiting. Yates’ mock draft suggests that arrangement is temporary and that Cleveland’s real long-term plan may involve a different name entirely.