Browns maneuver to land a QB in this mock draft

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has the team set up to take yet another shot at fixing the quarterback issue in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Thanks to a draft-day trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Berry has a pair of first-round selections at his disposal. With the Browns entering a transition season and the Jaguars coming off a 4-13 campaign, the hope was that both picks would be in at least the top 10.

The Browns are doing their part to ensure a high selection as Cleveland currently holds the No. 5 overall selection after the close of Week 13. But the Jaguars are not holding up their end of the bargain as they are tied for first place in the AFC South Division, which currently slots in as the No. 26 selection in the draft.

Still, two first-round selections are better than one, and certainly better than having none, a situation the Browns found themselves in from 2022 to 2024 thanks to the ill-fated trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, which is also why the Browns are still in need of a quarterback.

While the draft class is still weeks away from being set, and the quality of the quarterback class will be endlessly debated, the need to find a quarterback is still there for the Browns.

This brings us to Dane Brugler’s first 2026 mock draft at The Athletic, in which he has Berry sending both of those first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans to move into the No. 1 overall slot to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza:

Owning two first-rounders in April and having received marginal play under center this season, the Browns have the ammo and motivation to be aggressive quarterback hunters this offseason. Cleveland traded back in last year’s draft to be in position to get its guy in 2026, and neither Dillon Gabriel nor Shedeur Sanders has done anything to change that plan.

In this scenario, the Browns package both of their 2026 first-rounders (and probably a 2027 Day 2 selection) to Tennessee for rights to the No. 1 pick.

Mendoza, whom NFL scouts compare to Goff or Kirk Cousins, won’t wow with his arm velocity or speed, but his football intelligence (both pre- and post-snap) separates him. He has an outstanding feel for playing on time and layering throws to attack vulnerable spots in the defense, with just enough mobility to avoid sacks at an encouraging rate. The Browns will like Mendoza for a lot of the same reasons they liked Gabriel — except Mendoza has better physical attributes and a higher upside.

A couple of notes about the mock draft:

• Brugler also has the Las Vegas Raiders trading with the New York Giants to move up to No. 2 overall and selecting Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.

• If that happens, it would be the first time since 2016 that the first two selections were traded. That year, the Los Angeles Rams moved up to No. 1 to select Jared Goff, and the Philadelphia Eagles traded with the Browns so they could make the mistake of selecting Carson Wentz.

• With the selections from the Browns, Brugler has the Titans taking Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk at No. 5 overall and Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion at No. 26.

• With Mendoza and Moore off the board early, the next quarterback selected comes at No. 14, with the Pittsburgh Steelers picking Alabama’s Ty Simpson. That means Simpson would have been available if the Browns had stayed at No. 5, which could be good or bad depending on how you feel about Simpson.

The Browns need a quarterback, which is not debatable, but there are numerous other holes on offense that need to be addressed. So while landing Mendoza checks off the most important box, it would cost Cleveland an opportunity to add another first-round talent.

What do you think about Brugler’s mock draft for the Browns? Let us know in the comment section below!