The Cleveland Browns have now hosted a total of five quarterback prospects on top 30 visits ahead of the NFL Draft in Green Bay. For those unaware, a top 30 visit is an up to 8-hour meeting that a team can have with a prospect they’ve deemed to be in the “top 30” on their draft board. These visits give an NFL franchise full access to a player, allowing them to break down film, hang out, and truly get to know a potential future piece of their franchise.

The Browns hosting what many consider the top five quarterbacks in this draft class on these visits is no surprise, especially considering that the only quarterback currently on their roster is Kenny Pickett. However, it does raise some concerns for me, mainly because I believe the Browns should be taking a quarterback as high as possible.

Cleveland is slated to pick four times in the top 100 of the 2025 NFL Draft, with their two highest picks coming at No. 2 and No. 33. One of those picks should absolutely be used on a quarterback, in my opinion. I’ll give credit where it’s due: I like that the Browns are doing their due diligence at the position. But with the mindset that they should be using premium draft capital on a quarterback, some of the names brought in for these top 30 visits worry me.

I won’t harp on Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, two quarterbacks widely considered among the best in the class. Sanders, in particular, is my favorite fit for the Browns. Instead, I want to focus on the next three names: Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, and Tyler Shough. Each of these prospects, in my opinion, leaves a lot to be desired.

Let’s start with my favorite of the three: Jaxson Dart. He’s got all the tools you’d want in a prototypical NFL quarterback: the size, the arm talent, the upside. But he comes from a Lane Kiffin offense at Ole Miss, which is notorious for being quarterback-friendly to a fault and not translating well to the NFL level. Dart is intriguing, but in a draft class that’s been labeled as weak at the quarterback position, he feels like fool’s gold. Too much of a gamble, especially when Sanders or even Ward could be taken at No. 2.

Next up is Jalen Milroe, a name that’s been consistently linked to the Browns due to his time with Tommy Rees, Cleveland’s current offensive coordinator, during their stint together at Alabama. Milroe is undeniably a phenomenal athlete and did have his best statistical season under Rees. But when you break down the tape, there’s no clear path for Milroe to succeed in the NFL. His pocket presence is shaky, his decision-making is suspect, and the level of development he needs might be more than this current coaching staff can afford to take on, especially after a 3-14 season.

Finally, there’s Tyler Shough, a 25-year-old prospect who wrapped up his college career at Louisville. Shough played six years of college football at Oregon, Texas Tech, and Louisville. In that span, he suffered three long-term injuries, two of which were season-ending. While his final year of tape is admittedly strong and, just as important, injury-free, the combination of injury history and age is a major red flag for me. Taking him with a top-100 pick would be a reach I just can’t get behind.

I do hope the Browns are doing their homework with these prospects because that’s their job at the end of the day. But I also hope they’re using these visits as a bit of a smokescreen to mask the quarterback they truly want. In my opinion, that quarterback should be Sanders. If it’s not, and they’re genuinely in love with one of these other guys, then they better be certain they’re right.

Browns fans have dealt with enough mediocre quarterback play to last a lifetime. Wasting another premium pick on a quarterback with more red flags than upside could alienate an already exhausted fanbase—something Jimmy Haslam can’t afford to let happen as he looks to secure a new stadium in Brook Park by 2029.