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The Cleveland Browns walked away with seven selections in this year’s NFL Draft. While taking a quarterback wasn’t surprising, drafting two certainly wasn’t part of the original plan.
Cleveland began the draft holding the No. 2 overall pick, positioning them to potentially select Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Instead, the Browns traded down and didn’t take Sanders until the fifth round at No. 144. He became the second quarterback drafted by Cleveland after Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel went at No. 94 in the third round.
“Shedeur—we talk often about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said, per CBS Sports. “We felt like it wasn't necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round.”
According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, neither Gabriel nor Sanders might’ve been selected by Cleveland had Penn State’s Drew Allar declared for the 2025 draft.
“It’s a pretty exciting quarterback class next year,” Brugler said. “There’s not like a Caleb Williams or Drake Maye where it’s like there’s an obvious number one guy. But there’s a lot of talent at quarterback. It’s funny—Drew Allar is one of them from Penn State. If Drew Allar would have declared, he probably would have been the number two pick to his hometown Browns.”
Allar starred at Medina High School in Medina, Ohio. He was a five-star recruit in the 2022 class, ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 1 quarterback.
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In his second season as Penn State’s starter, Allar made a notable leap. He threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his passes. Though after helping the Nittany Lions reach the semifinal of the College Football Playoff, his costly interception against Notre Dame had the season end on a sour note.
Despite occasional skepticism surrounding his ceiling, Allar is widely expected to be a top pick in next year’s draft. Scouts praise his “prototypical NFL frame” and “elite arm talent.”
“What stands out most about Allar’s development is his historic ball security, setting an FBS record with 311 attempts without an interception to start his career,” NFL Draft Buzz wrote. “He’s maintained that disciplined approach while still pushing the ball downfield, consistently showing the ability to attack all levels of the field. His decision to return for his senior season speaks to his commitment to mastering the nuances of the position before making the leap to the next level.”
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