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Browns Predicted to Pursue 19-Year-Old College Quarterback Phenom

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Timm Hamm | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 12:28 PM ET

As the Cleveland Browns ponder their quarterback future, speculation is that they'll use this year's No. 2 overall pick on a signal caller to replace the oft-injured Deshaun Watson, who just suffered his second Achilles tear in three months.

To further turn the Cleveland offseason upside down, star defender Myles Garrett has requested/demanded a trade, citing his desire to win.

Because of this, and the lack of a true star quarterback in the draft, some think the Browns might not use their top pick on a signal-caller but rather on defense.

Connor Orr of SI subscribes to this line of thinking and goes so far as to speculate that the Browns hold out through 2025 to take 2026's top quarterback candidate in Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns.

"Trading Garrett after the draft, which designates him as a post–June 1 cut and minimizes some of the dead money, will arm Cleveland for a run at the bigger prize looming at the end of this long and sordid path at some point in the distant future: A Manning to pair with family friend and owner Jimmy Haslam," Orr wrote.

Manning is widely considered to be the top collegiate quarterback entering the summer and at least for now - although it's obviously still early - is figured to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

For that to happen, it seems like the Browns are planning on being bad again in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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