​In the realm of the NFL draft, a wide array of sites and voices have left their mark, beginning with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who championed the Cleveland Browns’ 2026 draft class. The draft has long been viewed as the fourth major American sport in the media spotlight, a perception that has fueled a proliferation of draft-focused outlets, programs, and personalities. With expectations of a sizable quarterback class in 2027 and the involvement of a high-profile figure like Arch Manning, attention to the draft figure will almost certainly intensify. Among the rising players and platforms, Tank-a-thon has emerged from relative obscurity to occupy a meaningful niche in the NFL draft conversation. Throughout the year, Tank-a-thon reliably tracks where each team stands in terms of upcoming selections across multiple drafts, keeping fans and analysts informed. For many followers, that site is a bookmarkable staple in their sports-fandom toolkit.
For Cleveland, the perennial challenge remains at quarterback. The Browns’ problem is shared by several other teams, all seeking clarity at the most critical position. Whether the solution comes from Shedeur Sanders or a quarterback from a future class, Cleveland needs to identify a viable answer. Tank-a-thon’s latest NFL mock draft did not, however, provide a resolution for the Browns with their first pick. The board showed three quarterbacks coming off the stage before Cleveland could act, which allowed Jeremiah Smith—the potential best receiver prospect in a decade or more—to slide to the Browns’ doorstep. Integrating Smith with KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Harold Fannin Jr., and Quinshon Judkins would give Cleveland a dynamic, young weapon group to complement a developing offense.
In that mock, CJ Carr emerged as the next quarterback off the board at the 10th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Darian Mensah found a home with the Minnesota Vikings at No. 13. Cleveland did manage to add a young quarterback with the final selection in Tank-a-thon’s scenario, picking Drew Mestemaker from Oklahoma State with the extra pick acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Myles Garrett trade. Mestemaker’s path to this moment has been anything but traditional. After putting up more than 4,300 passing yards and 34 touchdowns last season at North Texas, he transferred to Oklahoma State for the upcoming year, following his head coach who moved from North Texas to the Cowboys program. Mestemaker’s journey began in a nontraditional fashion: at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, he did not start as a quarterback, instead playing defensive back. He joined North Texas as an unheralded walk-on in 2024 and spent much of his first year developing behind the scenes before emerging as a potential NFL prospect.
Pairing Smith with Mestemaker could yield an intriguing, youthful core for Cleveland’s offense, yet the prospect of adding a sixth quarterback in what could be a historically deep class invites a host of questions for the organization. What do you think about these hypothetical moves? If the Browns are going to select a quarterback next year, should their top pick be dedicated to a signal-caller for the sake of better SEO visibility?