The Browns are set to have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be the first year Texas QB Arch Manning will be eligible to enter. When speaking to reporters, owner Jimmy Haslam said he could see Manning returning to Texas next year and wouldn’t elaborate on Cleveland’s possible interest in the quarterback prospect.
“I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that — and I don’t know Arch at all — I would bet he stays in college two years,” Haslam said, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “So, I don’t even really think that’s worth discussing.”
Cleveland made headlines in this year’s draft by taking QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round before bringing in Shedeur Sanders two rounds later. Haslam said they internally discussed signing Sanders twice on the day they decided to take him.
“We have good process,” Haslam said. “If you’d have told me … Friday night driving home, y’all are going to pick Shedeur, I would have said, ‘That’s not happening.’ But we had a conversation early that morning and we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. At the end of the day, that’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur.”
Last week, it was reported that the Rams’ front office currently considers Manning to be far and away at the top of the board compared to other quarterback prospects.
The Rams also have an extra first-round pick in next year’s draft after a trade with the Falcons this past April, and Rams GM Les Snead‘s stepson is on the Texas football team and good friends with Manning.
It makes sense that Manning is considered the top option. But Los Angeles and Cleveland would likely be far from the only teams that will covet Manning. There’s a lot still to play out, including whether Manning even declares for the 2026 draft, how he plays in his first year as the starter, and whether the team with the top pick is open to trading.
Manning, 21, is the son of Cooper Manning and the nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. He was a consensus five-star recruit when he committed to Texas.
During his two-year college career, Manning has appeared in 12 games with two starts for the Longhorns. He’s completed 63 of 95 pass attempts (66.3 percent) for 969 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 28 carries for 115 yards and four touchdowns.
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