As the Cleveland Browns prepare for a future without Deshaun Watson - and, a future without any of the quarterbacks they entered 2024 with - they'll be looking to the 2025 NFL Draft with a sharp eye.
There are several quarterbacks entering the draft, and with the second overall draft pick, Cleveland can either take a big gamble on one of them or try and build around them before selecting one in a later round. They do hold two third round picks this year, so it'd make sense to assume they'll be aiming for a quarterback at 67 or 93.
Ahead of the Senior Bowl, which is taking place on February 1, it was announced that one of the Browns coaches would be in attendance at the game, getting a very close look at a few quarterbacks the team can target with one of their later picks.
Bubba Ventrone set to represent Cleveland at Senior Bowl as coach
Ventrone, who currently serves as the Browns special teams coordinator and an assistant head coach, will be a coach for the American Team during the Senior Bowl. Among the participants in the Senior Bowl? Three quarterbacks that the Browns are likely to take a close look at during this year's NFL Combine: Jalen Milroe, Will Howard, and Jaxson Dart.
Read more: How should the Cleveland Browns approach the second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Dart is a sleeper pick for the Browns, as he's going to definitely need an extra year or two to develop behind a veteran signal caller no matter where he lands. But, he has a lot of potential and elite skills that make him an interesting prospect for quarterback-needy teams like the Browns.
As for Howard, he isn't necessarily considered one of the better prospects at signal caller in the upcoming draft. Ohio State struggled to be as dominant as they were projected to be this season, but they are in the College Football Championship, so his stock will certainly see a boost with that sort of appearance.
Milroe feels like the real quarterback to watch for Cleveland at this point, though. Assuming they don't go for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward at number two overall, they'll be aiming for someone like Milroe in the third round - someone with coachable QB skills and with a very high ceiling that hasn't been reached just yet.
Given the recent hiring of Tommy Rees as the Browns offensive coordinator, it feels like Milroe will be the quarterback the Browns become most familiar with - Rees was Milroe's OC at Alabama in 2023. Ventrone is the STC for the Browns, but surely his opinion on these quarterbacks during the Senior Bowl will carry a ton of weight for Cleveland.