The Cleveland Browns may not be in a position to draft either Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, which could be a massive thorn in Andrew Berry's side if he wants to find someone younger to replace Deshaun Watson as the team's long-term answer at quarterback.
With Watson both underperforming and suffering from a torn Achilles, the Browns will do their due diligence on quarterbacks in this draft. One name who has steadily persisted as a Day 2 target for Cleveland and other teams out there is Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
Allar, who has caught fire with a string of strong performances against some of the best teams on the schedule, has slowly been rising up draft boards. Allar decided to bring an end to those draft discussions himself, opting for one more year in Happy Valley.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Allar intends to return to the Nittany Lions for his senior season and compete to be named the top quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft alongside Arch Manning. For any Browns fans hoping for a quick fix to their quarterback problems will be sorely let down.
Browns NFL Draft quarterback target Drew Allar returns to Penn State
While Allar did throw 25 touchdowns against just two picks in his sophomore year, his 59% completion percentage and criticism over not throwing deep often limited his success. Allar is averaging a full two yards per attempt more this year, throwing for 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Allar is everything a GM like Berry could dream about for a quarterback prospect. Not only is the 6-5, 238-pound gunslinger in possession of a bazooka of a right arm, but he is surprisingly mobile and can make plays out of structure. After a strong showing to close out Penn State's season, it seemed like a lock Allar would be picked in the first two rounds.
The Browns will likely not land either Ward or Sanders, leaving Alabama's Jalen Milroe as the only other prospect often projected to land in the first two rounds. Georgia's Carson Beck and Texas' Quinn Ewers could be solid mid-round options, but both of them have seen their stocks fall sharply this season.
The Browns may need to reckon with either one more year of Watson or a veteran stopgap. Allar could be worth targeting next year, but Browns fans will need to wait one more year if they want to land the strong-armed Nittany Lion.