Penn State's Drew Allar Nearly Upended Browns' Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel Draft Destiny

The Cleveland Browns emerged from this year's NFL Draft with seven picks. Although selecting a quarterback was expected, choosing two definitely stood out. was not included in the initial plan .

Cleveland started with the No. 2 overall selection in the draft, which put them in a position to possibly choose Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. However, they decided to trade back instead and ended up drafting Sanders later in the fifth round as the No. 144th pick. Following this move, he was selected as the team's second quarterback after Oregon's Dillon Gabriel was chosen at No. 94 during the third round.

Shedeur—we frequently discuss how crucial the quarterback position is in this game," stated Cleveland Browns' general manager Andrew Berry, as reported by CBS Sports. "While our initial strategy for the weekend did not involve picking two quarterbacks, we adhere to selecting the best player available and consider positional importance. We certainly weren’t anticipating him still being available when we got to the fifth round.

According to The Athletic's Dane Brugler , neither Gabriel nor Sanders might've been selected by Cleveland had Penn State's Drew Allar declared for the 2025 draft.

It’s quite an exhilarating group of quarterbacks coming up next year," Brugler stated. "Unlike last time with a clear top choice such as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, this bunch doesn’t have an immediate standout leader. However, there’s plenty of skill among the quarterback prospects. Interestingly enough, Drew Allar is part of this talented lineup; being from Penn State adds to his appeal. Had Drew Allar decided to enter the draft, he likely would have been selected second overall by his local team, the Cleveland Browns.

Allar played football for Medina High School located in Medina, Ohio. In the 2022 recruiting class, he was recognized as a five-star recruit, placing him at No. 3 among all prospects and topping the list of quarterbacks.

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In his second season as Penn State's starter, Allar made a notable leap. He threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his passes. Though after helping the Nittany Lions reach the semifinal of the College Football Playoff, his costly interception against Notre Dame had the season end on a sour note.

Even though some doubt remains about how high he can go, Allar is anticipated to be selected early in next year’s draft. Observers commend his “ideal build for the NFL” and “outstanding throwing ability.”

"What stands out most about Allar's development is his historic ball security, setting an FBS record with 311 attempts without an interception to start his career," NFL Draft Buzz wrote He has kept up this disciplined strategy while continuing to make progress, continually demonstrating the skill to assault every part of the field. Choosing to come back for his final year reflects his dedication to fully understanding the subtleties of the role prior to moving on to the professional stage.

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