A new mock draft from ESPN’s Matt Miller has reignited questions about the Cleveland Browns’ long-term quarterback plans and cast fresh doubt on rookie Shedeur Sanders’ future with the team.
Miller projects the Browns to finish with the worst record in the NFL next season, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft and selecting Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
“Spending two picks on quarterbacks in 2025 — Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round) — shouldn’t prevent the Browns from looking for a long-term passer here,” Miller wrote in his first mock draft. “Klubnik enters the season as my No. 1 QB. In 2024, he threw for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, highlighted by a gutsy performance against Texas in the College Football Playoff (336 passing yards, three TDs, one INT). Klubnik reminds me of Baker Mayfield — whom Cleveland selected with the No. 1 pick in 2018 — in terms of arm strength, mobility and playmaking awareness.”
The projection didn’t sit well with longtime analyst and talking head Skip Bayless, a staunch supporter of Sanders who believes he was already unfairly overlooked in this year’s draft.
“[Miller] has the Cleveland Browns finishing worst and picking first. And are you ready for this? Picking a quarterback first overall — Clemson’s Cade Klubnik,” Bayless said. “I believe in Shedeur Sanders, who I thought should have gone No. 1 in this year’s draft. I believe the NFL tried to teach Shedeur and his father, Deion, a big, bad lesson by blackballing him as Shedeur fell all the way into the fifth round, where Cleveland finally took him 50 picks after the Browns had already taken Dillon Gabriel, who, of course, also plays quarterback.”
Rookie QB Could Push Shedeur Sanders Out in Cleveland
Sanders still has a lot to prove in Cleveland and isn’t guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster this season. While the Browns haven’t released an official depth chart, most observers have him slotted as the team’s No. 4 quarterback, behind Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and 40-year-old Joe Flacco.
Even if Sanders manages to stick around as an option, the franchise’s long-term outlook could make his time in Cleveland short-lived. Bayless thinks if the Browns target Klubnik — or any top-tier quarterback — in next year’s draft, it may all but signal the end of Sanders’ run with the team.
“If Matt Miller is right, then I don’t know. I’d have to assume Shedeur would have to beat out Dillon Gabriel to be Klubnik’s backup going forward. Unless, of course, the Browns just say, We’ve got to remove any young threat to Klubnik,” Bayless said. “Man, what a mountain Shedeur Sanders is now going to have to climb.”
Shedeur Sanders is Facing Uphill Battle With Browns
Sanders has received limited reps and no time with the starting offense through OTAs and minicamp. But the former Colorado star isn’t using that as an excuse. If his number is called, he’ll be ready.
“There’s no excuses because when you get out there, nobody cares how many reps you got whenever you get in the game,” Sanders said during minicamp. “Nobody cares if you took a snap before. Everybody cares about production. So that’s the main thing when you get out there: You got to be able to produce.”
The Browns have maintained that keeping all four quarterbacks on the active roster is a realistic option. If the team does follow through on that, it would keep the door open for Sanders to start games later in the season and make his case.
Sanders’ first chance to climb the depth chart will come during training camp, with rookies reporting July 18.
