Browns to pass on Ty Simpson? Grossi reveals the ‘real’ QB target

Browns to pass on Ty Simpson? Grossi reveals the ‘real’ QB target originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The post-NFL Combine buzz in Cleveland around quarterbacks isn’t centered around one of the top rated signal-callers, but rather a strategic "flyer" with huge upside.

 ESPN Cleveland insider Tony Grossi has shifted the conversation, suggesting there is a "greater chance" the Browns draft Penn State’s Drew Allar over Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

The logic is simple. The Browns aren't in the market to burn a premium pick on a QB. With Deshaun Watson’s contract still on the books and the team wanting to see the ceiling of Shedeur Sanders, spending high draft capital on Ty Simpson—who many scouts argue lacks a singular "elite" trait—shouldn’t make sense for GM Andrew Berry.

More: Steal of the Draft? The 1 sleeper QB the Browns must target after the NFL Combine

Allar, however, represents the ultimate low-risk, high-reward developmental project. Standing 6'5" with a verified "howitzer" for an arm, Allar possesses the physical tools Simpson lacks. Because he is projected to slide into the fourth or fifth round after season ending ankle surgery, the Browns could snag him without sacrificing assets needed to bolster the roster elsewhere.

"The Browns aren't looking for a starter today; but they’re more likely to devote a late pick in a flyer," Grossi noted during his latest analysis.

For Allar, growing up 38-minutes away from downtown Cleveland, the fit is poetic. The lifelong Browns fan once admitted, "Growing up in Northeast Ohio, you’re born into this. Wearing the orange and brown is the dream." By drafting Allar, Cleveland gets a high-upside athlete to redshirt and develop behind the scenes, all while satisfying a fan base that loves a local comeback story. 

In the mid-rounds, this is a move Berry needs to make. 

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