The topic of the next Cleveland Browns quarterback has hit its stride as we gear up first for the NFL free agency window in March and then the NFL Draft in April. The Browns hold the No. 2 draft pick in that draft and thus there’s been plenty of chatter on the topic.

Two quarterbacks, Cam Ward(Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), are considered the top prospects, but are they worth taking so high in the draft? There are opinions out there that this quarterback class is not that strong. So would Cleveland be wrong in drafting one of these players? Would the team be better served taking a player like Travis Hunter ( Colorado), a combo wide receiver and cornerback who some say is the best athlete on the draft board?

Interesting note on the discussion of drafting a quarterback in this year’s draft in this season’s NFL playoffs of the 14 teams involved, 12 of them had quarterbacks taken in the first round. So when you start taking quarterbacks outside of the first round, the reliability and stardom of the player take a big hit. There are many exceptions to that fact noting star quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Russell Wilson but taking a quarterback in the first round has more upside.

In this series of articles, we’re going to look at these top two quarterbacks and a couple more quarterbacks that Browns fans are discussing in the days leading up to the draft.

No. 3 QB for the Browns to consider drafting: Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Jalen Milroe is racing up some NFL mock draft big boards. For Cleveland, they just announced the hiring of Tommy Rees as their new offensive coordinator. Rees actually coached Milroe at Alabama when he was OC there back in 2023. Some local analysts are speculating that the Rees hire would make the Browns the favorites to draft him. Would Cleveland take him as high as their No. 2 pick? To me, that seems too high. However, if he were still there by their No. 33 pick, and let’s say the team signs potential free agent QB Kirk Cousins in the meantime, then I think it would be a great decision.

I don’t believe Milroe’s game is ready to start NFL games in Week 1 but giving him some time to watch an NFL veteran for a season would be the best option.

At Alabama, he played for four seasons though his first two campaigns were very limited. Overall he threw for 6,016 yards and had 45 touchdowns. He did throw 20 interceptions. The other part of his game included his running ability. He often times escaped the backfield and scampered for 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns. This past season he ran for 726 yards and had 20 touchdowns.

Of all the possible quarterbacks for the Browns to consider in this year’s draft, Milroe is the one with the most ability to use as a running quarterback. However, I just don’t see Browns coach Stefanski wanting another quarterback who thinks “run first” when the pocket collapses.

Milroe is a great athlete and could be a nice middle round of the NFL draft pick. I think it would be a stretch to try and take him at No. 2 or even No. 33. If he’s there in the latter part of the second round or early third round then I think the risk would be worth it.