Being able to draft the best college football player from the class of 2027 would seem too good to be true, but that’s what Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports projected for the Cleveland Browns in a recent way-too-early mock draft.
Wilson discussed the well-stocked class of quarterbacks projected to be available in 2027, suggesting there could be four QBs taken inside the top 10. Browns fans, of course, would think their team would be projected to select a quarterback since Cleveland has had yearly issues at the position while trying to find that next franchise guy.
However, the Browns pick fourth in this mock draft and select wide receiver Jeremiah Smith out of Ohio State. Smith has been touted as not only the best pass catcher in college football but the best football player in general. (The draft order for this particular mock was based on FanDuel’s latest Super Bowl odds, with Cleveland having the fourth-lowest shot at winning the big game.)
Considering the class of 2027 may produce some of the finest quarterback prospects in recent memory, it wouldn't make sense for the Browns to pass on one for another wide receiver — even if he’s the best football player out there.
While Cleveland is still trying to sort out its current roster of quarterbacks, there are certainly a lot of opinions among both fans and football analysts that the Browns should strongly consider drafting a potential franchise quarterback in next year's draft.
For this mock, Wilson has six quarterbacks going in the first round, but somehow doesn’t give one to the Browns. The Miami Dolphins select Dante Moore out of Oregon at No. 1. Arch Manning from Texas goes to the New York Jets at No. 2. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava then goes to the Arizona Cardinals at the No. 3 spot in the draft.
Passing on a loaded QB class for Jeremiah Smith would be a massive gamble for the Browns
Cleveland is up next, and they select Smith from Ohio State. While he is probably the best player, and many would see this as a dream come true, it just doesn’t add up until the Browns get the right guy to play behind center.
Smith would certainly add another piece to the offensive side of the ball for Cleveland. In just two seasons as a Buckeye, Smith gained 2,558 yards on 163 pass catches. He scored 27 touchdowns and averaged almost 16 yards per catch.
For several seasons, Cleveland has struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Last season, the Browns averaged a bit over 16 points a game, ranking them nearly dead last in the league. They have recently added two wide receivers in this past draft, taking KC Concepcion from Texas A&M in the first round and Denzel Boston from Washington early in the second round.
They’ve also bolstered their offensive line in recent weeks by drafting Spencer Fano from Utah, signing free agent lineman Zion Johnson and trading for Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans.
Hopefully, all these moves will help the current squad of quarterbacks in Cleveland. Shedeur Sanders finished his rookie season winning three games over his seven starts. Hopefully, we will see improvement from him next season. The veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson is also on the roster, but he’s recovering from another serious injury, tearing his Achilles tendon a year ago.
A lot of what Cleveland decides to do in a draft a year from now will hinge on the improvements we see by this team in the coming season, and while selecting Smith seems like a luxury if he were to be available, it still feels unrealistic.
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