The 2026 NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday, April 23, and as is typically the case with the draft, the Cleveland Browns have some big decisions to make. Equipped with two first-round picks, No. 6 and No. 24, Cleveland will likely decide between wide receiver and offensive tackle, and which position to prioritize.
While targeting those two positions is the most likely approach for the Browns, they remain a wild card because they could also go after a quarterback in the first round — more specifically Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Longtime draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently argued that would be a bad decision by the Browns.
The reason why Kiper feels that way is simple: He believes Cleveland already has a young quarterback in Shedeur Sanders who is better than Simpson.
Mel Kiper Jr. says Browns shouldn’t be interested in Ty Simpson because Shedeur Sanders is better
In a recent episode of ESPN’s First Draft, Kiper expressed that teams like the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals have to figure out Simpson. Fellow draft analyst Field Yates added that Cleveland is a team that needs to figure the prospect out as well. That’s when Kiper argued, “The Browns don’t have to worry about Ty Simpson. They got a better quarterback than Ty Simpson in Shedeur Sanders. Don’t go there.”
It’s no surprise that Kiper is making this argument, because he has been holding the line for Sanders since before the 2025 draft. The analyst had the Browns quarterback ranked ahead of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward heading into last year’s draft, and Kiper went on an infamous three-day tirade when Sanders slid to the fifth round. The draft guru has even praised the quarterback’s performance as a rookie, emphasizing that Cleveland has to give him a better supporting cast.
While Kiper is an unsurprising messenger, making his statement easy to dismiss, the point he made is certainly worth the conversation. If the Browns have real interest in Simpson, they have to ask themselves a ton of questions. Questions like: Is Simpson a better prospect than Sanders was? Which young quarterback has more upside, and a realistic chance of becoming the team’s franchise QB? Would it be more beneficial to use one of the first-round picks on a player who could help Sanders, as opposed to taking Simpson and neglecting a hole in the lineup?
Once the Browns work through those questions, they’ll probably find themselves on Kiper’s side.