Could Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar challenge Shedeur Sanders for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job?
Had Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar entered the 2025 NFL Draft, he may very well have been a top-10 pick.
Instead, Allar elected to return to school for another year to bolster his stock. Unfortunately, he ended up torpedoing his draft status.
Allar played in just six games in 2025 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, and even prior to the injury, he was not performing all that well.
The 21-year-old threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 64.8 percent of his passes before being sidelined. He also rushed for 172 yards and a score.
Allar went from being viewed as a contender for the No. 1 overall selection to probably a Day 3 pick, and Alec Elijah of Pro Football Network actually envisions him falling all the way to the back end of the seventh round.
In a recent seven-round mock draft, Elijah projected Allar to head to the Cleveland Browns at No. 248, which would certainly be interesting given how uncertain the Browns' quarterback situation currently is.
Drew Allar. Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images.Cleveland has Shedeur Sanders at the top of the depth chart for now, but new head coach Todd Monken has made it clear that Sanders is not guaranteed to win the starting job heading into 2026.
Should the Browns draft Allar, it could set up a rather compelling situation in Cleveland.
Sanders was surely have the edge in training camp and would almost certainly start the season ahead of Allar, but if he faltered, Allar would definitely be waiting in the wings to potentially supplant him under center.
Allar has drawn comparisons to Josh Allen due to his size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), top-level arm strength and impressive athleticism.
There is no question that the Penn State product possesses the tools you would want from a franchise quarterback, which is why he could ultimately serve as a major steal in the later rounds of the draft this April.
The Browns would comprise one of the best possible landing spots for Allar because of their uncertainty at signal-caller, and it stands to reason that the Medina, Oh. native could still become a starter on the NFL level at some point.
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