Which way the Cleveland Browns go in the draft remains to be seen. But new head coach Todd Monken said there’s a QB competition. That doesn’t faze Mel Kiper Jr., who got testy over the suggestion that the Browns draft Ty Simpson.
Kiper got his hackles up on the First Draft Podcast, according to a post on YouTube.
Here’s the back and forth:
Field Yates said: “The Browns, by the way, need to figure out Ty Simpson as well.”
Kiper fired back: “The Browns don’t have to worry about Ty Simpson. They’ve got a better quarterback than Ty Simpson in Shedeur Sanders. Don’t go there.”
Still, Yates stood his ground and repeated his stance.
It’s nothing new for Mel Kiper Jr. and QB Shedeur Sanders
During the 2025 NFL Draft, it seemed like Kiper criticized every quarterback pick that wasn’t Sanders after the Browns initially passed on him at No. 20.
At the close of Day 2, Kiper had seen enough, according to a post on X by Awful Announcing.
“Mel Kiper Jr. to close out Day 2 on ESPN2 with Shedeur Sanders still undrafted: ‘I really have nothing to say. I'm just disgusted. That's all I can say.’ ”
He later added, according to Bleacher Report, “I’ll tell ya what—Shedeur makes no sense to me. I mean, we could go to 102 picks and end today without Shedeur Sanders being picked. That’s nonsensical. This kid should’ve been a first-round draft choice.”
So, how did Sanders do as a rookie? He went 3-4 as a starter. He completed an abysmal 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards. He totaled seven touchdowns with an ugly 10 interceptions.
But Kiper is holding out. He apparently doesn’t want to see a player like Simpson come in to challenge Sanders. And that’s odd. Because if Kiper really believes in Sanders that much, why would Kiper care if the Browns bring in a rookie?
It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Sanders, Kiper, and Simpson. If Simpson comes in as a rookie and outplays Sanders in his second year, it could make Kiper look bad. But perhaps he will still stand on his Sanders soapbox.
