When the Cleveland Browns re-entered the National Football League in 1999 after a three-year absence, there was hope in the city once known as the heart of football. That hope was personified by the first overall selection in that year’s draft: Tim Couch, a tall, accurate quarterback from the University of Kentucky who had commanded national attention with his calm presence and pinpoint throws. Couch was chosen to lead a reborn team, carrying the weight of an entire city’s yearning for football redemption. But the circumstances he walked into were as unforgiving as they were historic. The Browns were essentially starting from scratch. Their offensive line was a patchwork. The receivers were unproven. The coaching staff was new. Couch was thrown into the fire, often literally, as he took a brutal beating behind an inexperienced line and endured constant change at every level of the organization. Though he managed to guide the team to a playoff berth in 2002, the only such appearance of his career, injuries, and organizational instability prevented him from ever reaching his potential. When the Browns decided to move on, it was clear that the problem wasn’t just Couch. It was everything around him.
The Browns cycled through quarterbacks with dizzying frequency as the years rolled on, always looking for the next savior but never finding the right mix of talent, coaching, and timing. In 2007, Cleveland again turned to the draft's first round in search of an answer. After selecting offensive tackle Joe Thomas as the third overall pick, a choice that would be the most successful of the decade, they traded back into the first round to select Brady Quinn as pick number twenty-two. Quinn, a local fan favorite and standout at Notre Dame, was celebrated upon arrival, heralded as the polished and intelligent leader the franchise had lacked. But like many of his predecessors, Quinn was buried beneath layers of dysfunction. His mechanics faltered under pressure, his confidence waned, and coaching changes disrupted his development. He started just twelve games over three seasons and never returned the promise of his draft night cheers.
The Browns’ next major attempt came in 2012, and again, it raised eyebrows. That year, they selected Brandon Weeden, also with the twenty-second pick, a college star out of Oklahoma State who was already twenty-eight years old at the time of the draft. The logic was that his age and maturity would make him NFL-ready. What transpired was far more sobering. Weeden lacked the mobility and improvisation to survive behind Cleveland’s inconsistent offensive line. His arm strength could not overcome slow decision-making, and the game often seemed to move faster than he could adjust. He lasted only two seasons, winning five games and joining the growing list of quarterbacks whose names would become trivia answers rather than legends.
By 2014, desperation had given way to spectacle. That spring, Cleveland again used the twenty-second overall pick, this time selecting Johnny Manziel, the dynamic and polarizing Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M. Manziel was a player who had thrilled college audiences with his elusiveness and backyard-style playmaking. He was also a lightning rod off the field, drawing headlines for everything from his nightlife to his defiance of NFL conventions. The Browns were willing to gamble, hoping his talent would transcend the chaos. What followed was a familiar unraveling. Manziel struggled with the mental aspects of the game. His preparation was questioned. His performances were erratic. His personal life often overshadowed anything he did on the field. The Browns had seen enough after only two seasons and eight career starts. He was released, and the team again stared into the void of quarterback uncertainty.
Then came 2018, perhaps the most legitimate sense of optimism since the team’s rebirth. Holding the first overall pick once more, Cleveland selected Baker Mayfield, the brash and undersized competitor from Oklahoma who had walked on at two programs and turned himself into the top player in college football. Mayfield arrived with swagger, defiance, and, most importantly, results. In his rookie season, he set the NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie despite not starting the first two games. Long mired in mediocrity, the Browns finished 7–8–1 and finally had a sense of direction. Two years later, Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in a stunning performance that made him a folk hero in Northeast Ohio. Yet, as quickly as he ascended, Mayfield’s trajectory flattened. Injuries, inconsistencies in decision-making, and philosophical clashes with coaches and management dimmed the light. After a disappointing 2021 season, the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, signaling the end of the Mayfield era. Like Couch, Quinn, Weeden, and Manziel before him, Mayfield had been embraced and discarded, his promise ultimately unfulfilled.
In the following years, the Browns shifted their focus to veteran quarterbacks, but they continued to dip into the draft in search of developmental talent. In 2023, they selected Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round. Thompson-Robinson, a dual-threat quarterback out of UCLA, possessed athleticism and a confident demeanor, but he was always seen as a long-term project. His opportunities were limited, and in 2025, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, continuing the Browns’ pattern of short-lived experiments behind their starting quarterback.
The 2025 NFL Draft brought a surprising twist. With Watson still in place as the presumptive starter, granted many feel like he's on the out with the Browns, Cleveland used its third-round pick to select Dillon Gabriel, a left-handed quarterback from Oregon with a quick release and an impressive college resume that included All-American honors and multiple conference records. Gabriel was viewed as a cerebral and efficient player who could develop while learning the professional game. However, many analysts didn't have him pegged as a franchise QB. But Cleveland was not finished. Two rounds later, the Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, a quarterback whose last name had long carried weight in football circles. The son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur had once been projected as a top-five selection. However, questions surrounding his pre-draft process and reports of friction with team representatives caused him to slide to the fifth round. His selection was both a headline and a high-risk, high-reward proposition. The Browns were suddenly deep at quarterback but also walking into familiar territory, juggling multiple young passers with uncertain futures. Overall, Cleaveland will have more rotation at the QB position in the future; whether it will be Gabriel or Sanders remains to be seen.
Looking back over the last quarter-century, it becomes clear that the Browns’ quarterback drafting history is not simply a list of names and picks. It reflects a franchise that has struggled to marry vision with execution, talent with patience, and expectations with support. The list of quarterbacks drafted by the Browns is long. Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders. Each arrived with potential. Each left with a story that ended too soon.
Yet hope persists; it always does in Cleveland. The city still waits for the quarterback who will bring wins, stability, longevity, and perhaps a championship. For now, the Browns continue drafting, developing, and dreaming. With each new name added to the quarterback room, the story continues to write itself.
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