To the shock of some, the Cleveland Browns retained GM Andrew Berry entering 2025 despite the monumental disaster Berry made trading a plethora of picks for Deshaun Watson. When Berry brought in Watson, the Browns had an outstanding roster encompassing many integral facets of football, the team was just a quarterback away. Three years later, that same roster has aged poorly, lost firepower, and is now coming off a three-win season with a $230M question mark plaguing most of the salary cap. 

Once just a quarterback away from contention, the Browns may now be further than ever from contending due to the loss of essential draft picks and Myles Garrett’s pending trade request. The Browns hold the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, which is possibly the most critical pick in franchise history as the Browns pick their future face of the franchise to lead the organization out of the mud.

Aaaaaaaand we’re trusting Andrew Berry to make that pick. Berry will likely keep the No. 2 selection, as the classic adage for GMs says to “never trade for draft picks you won’t get to make.” The pressure is on for Berry. The rookie season of the No. 2 pick may be the lifeline or axe for Berry’s Cleveland tenure.

With Jameis Winston’s contract expiring and Deshaun Watson’s Achilles injury, many Browns fans want to see Berry select the best QB available when the Browns pick at No. 2. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the presumptive favorites to be the first two quarterbacks off the draft board, and have even been mocked No. 1 and No. 2. With injury concerns surrounding Abdul Carter, a rumored favorite of the No. 1 drafting Tennessee Titans, the QB-needy Titans will entertain selecting a QB first overall, leaving the latter of Ward or Sanders to wear brown and orange.

Nick Pedone, co-host of BIGPLAY Cleveland and The BIG Factor, covered the NFL Combine for BIGPLAY, and explained his reasoning for Shedeur Sanders being the most likely pick for the Browns.

“Both Kevin Stefanski and Berry talked about the importance of being a strong decision maker, a highly valued trait for the next quarterback,” said Pedone. “When you look at the Top 2 (Ward & Sanders), Shedeur is the better playmaker and plays turnover free football. Regardless of how they feel about either of these guys, they feel like they need to take a quarterback because it’s the most important position, and there's an absence of other options (in free agency).”

To hear more about Browns’ NFL draft coverage, check out Nick daily on The BIG Factor and every Monday night on BIGPLAY Cleveland.