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Browns, Rams poised to capitalize on 2026 QB class that looks much stronger than 2025 crop
By Jeff Howe
April 30, 2025Updated 5:45 am PDT
The biggest winners of the NFL Draft might not have a chance to cash in on their investments until next year.The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams each added first-round picks in 2026, which is shaping up to boast a much better collection of quarterbacks than the 2025 class. And it could be one of the most memorable classes in recent history if Texas’ Arch Manning declares to enhance the level of star power.
“If I’m one of those teams,” a personnel executive said, “I am jacked up I got another first-round pick.”
There was a shortage of pre-draft trades this year, largely due to a lack of excitement over the quarterback class. The Tennessee Titans quickly centered their focus around Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, and they rebuffed efforts by the Browns and New York Giants to move up. Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough were the only other QBs to go in the first two rounds.
The relative absence of urgency to overreach at quarterback was, in part, related to 2026. Taking a QB in the first round last week would have likely eliminated them from contention with an early pick a year from now. Or at the very least, it would have been deemed a misuse of premium assets.
To be clear, it’s a bit early to be overly confident about the known commodities in 2026, but personnel departments have been optimistic for months about the group. They don’t think it will rival the high-end talent from the 2024 group that produced six first-rounders, but it’s safe to project it’ll be a significant upgrade from 2025.
“It certainly seems stronger than this year’s class,” a scout said. “But it ultimately may depend on who declares for the NFL.”
Manning will be the crown jewel if he declares, and the pre-draft hype around him will be comparable to recent top prospects like Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams. Teams are skeptical Manning will declare, though, as they wonder if he’ll play out his eligibility like uncles Peyton and Eli Manning. The Athletic spoke to five executives and scouts for this story, with all leaning in the direction of predicting Arch Manning would return to school in 2026.
Manning has the obvious pedigree and off-field intangibles; he’s also got ideal size, accuracy to layer the ball all around the field, decision-making ability, speed and running power. There’s some question over his throwing power, but it’s not viewed as a concern if he continues to anticipate at such a high level. There’s also plenty of time to improve his arm strength.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar have routinely been tabbed as top prospects, while South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers is set to draw plenty of attention. UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava, who just transferred from Tennessee over a name, image and likeness negotiation, could position himself as an early pick if his tape can match his traits. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik could insert himself into the conversation, assuming he continues his growth while the Tigers return a large contingent of their offensive talent. And finally, The Athletic’s draft expert, Dane Brugler, believes there’s good reason to believe Indiana QB (and Cal transfer) Fernando Mendoza could be a first-round talent, as well.
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Of course, there’s a long way to go in the process. Ward was a relative unknown this time a year ago. Ditto for Jayden Daniels two years ago. Joe Burrow was mired in anonymity a year before his historic season at LSU vaulted him to the top pick of the 2020 draft. There are countless similar examples.Ole Miss’ Austin Simmons isn’t yet on the NFL’s radar but could fit that bill. And league evaluators noted Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, Miami’s Carson Beck, Baylor’s Sawyer Robinson and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson among QBs who will draw long looks during their upcoming seasons.
“There are so many guys like that, it’s hard to sit here now and know for sure (who will make the leap),” an executive said. “But I see more candidates to make that jump than the 2025 class.”
Those quarterbacks won’t all develop into marquee draft prospects, just as there will surely be a QB who hasn’t been mentioned but will improve his stock. And because they make so much NIL money, there’s more incentive than ever to stay in school to maximize their eligibility. These prospects don’t need to look any further than Shedeur Sanders and Quinn Ewers to recognize how quickly they can be humbled by their draft hopes.
“I don’t know that this is going to be a historic class like two years ago,” an executive said. “But think about it: You had two guys (who were known commodities) at this point (of the 2024 process). We didn’t know that Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. would have gotten there.”
The next class will methodically come into focus over the next six months or so. Teams will attend summer practices to examine traits, watch how they play during the early portions of their regular-season schedules, and then really get to work once the QBs get into conference play. At that point, as was the case this cycle with Ward, prospects will distinguish themselves.
“The group is better than this year’s,” a scout said. “And there’s certainly a long way to go.”
This is why it’s overly beneficial for teams to increase their chances. The Browns added a future first-rounder (and more) by bypassing two-way star Travis Hunter, dropping from No. 2 to 5 and taking Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. While the Browns selected Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Sanders in the fifth, that’s not nearly enough to take them out of the running for a quarterback next year.
Plus, the Browns continue to have salary cap issues due to Deshaun Watson’s contract, so they figure to struggle again in 2025. Couple that with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2026 pick, and the Browns appear to be in the best position to control next year’s draft.
“It makes what Cleveland did look very smart,” an executive said. “I thought (Browns general manager Andrew Berry) did an awesome job.”
But don’t dismiss the Rams. They’re in good position to get back into the playoffs, but they got an unexpected boost when the Atlanta Falcons offered their next first-round pick in a deal for the 26th selection, which they used on edge rusher James Pearce Jr. If the Falcons miss the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, the Rams could be in a great spot to pick Matthew Stafford’s replacement.
The Browns and Rams could benefit in another way, too. In one hypothetical scenario, Manning may not declare, several QBs emerge as first-round talents and the Browns and Rams could use their extra first-rounders to kick the can into 2027. Or maybe Sanders proves the world wrong and has a dazzling rookie season, allowing the Browns to auction one of those picks to a QB-needy team.
One executive laughed at the thought, pointing out the Browns’ and Rams’ division rivals will be rooting for the Jaguars and Falcons to win as much as possible to reduce the value of those draft assets.
Conversely, the Jaguars and Falcons took on a lot of risk. The Jaguars have Lawrence, while Penix will enter his first full season as the Falcons’ star, so neither organization believes they’ll be in the quarterback market a year from now. But there are few certainties in the NFL. And again, they can’t auction a pick they’ve already traded.
“If you need a QB, you would not trade (your future first-rounder), and you would try to acquire picks in the next draft for ammo, if possible,” an executive said.
Another executive added, “In general, trading a future (first-rounder) is a really bad idea from a team-building standpoint because you’re never one player away. For anything other than a quarterback, you’re not going to recoup the value.”
The Jaguars and Falcons went for it to try to accelerate their rebuilds. The Browns and Rams were happy to oblige, hoping their patience would lead to significantly extra value with added opening-round picks. The scoreboard watching will yield new levels of excitement next season in those buildings.
If the next quarterback class develops into what most around the league believe it can be, the Browns and Rams could be huge retroactive draft winners.
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