Todd Monken's value in the Browns' draft process is rooted in the relationship he built in the college game as coordinator at Georgia. (TheLandOnDemand)
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Takeaways from Todd Monken press availability at NFL Combine …
1. I’m featuring this anecdote at the top of this column for one reason, which I’ll explain. There’s a strong connection between Todd Monken and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who enters the Combine as probably the No. 2-rated QB behind Indiana Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Monken explained, “I liked Ty when he was coming out. When I first got to Georgia [as offensive coordinator], they [Alabama] hadn't offered him and I went up there and talked to his dad. In fact, his dad, Jason, is a Southern Miss alum and I was the head coach at Southern Miss. So we got to know them really well. Really fond of Ty. Obviously really good football player. Fired up for him because in today's day and age, for him to stay as long as he did at Alabama and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback’s pretty cool. And that is really cool for him to live out his dream at the school he chose whatever it was three or four years ago.”
2. Should we now pencil in Simpson as a potential pick for the Browns at No. 6 or No. 24? The answer is no. For two reasons. Simpson doesn’t fit the profile of a player GM Andrew Berry would take high in the draft. He started only 15 games – all in 2025 – in four seasons at Alabama. No way would Berry devote a first-round pick to a quarterback with that few career starts. Further, drafting Simpson in the first round would result in an all-in commitment to Simpson as ‘the guy.’ You don’t devote that high of a resource to a quarterback and not commit to him.The Browns aren't inclined to do that. So why do I bring up the Monken connection to Simpson?
3. Monken’s most value in the Browns’ draft process stems from his connections to the college game. He was Georgia’s offensive coordinator from 2020-22. We know Berry has a bias for players from the SEC. Fourteen of 44 draft picks made by Berry in six drafts have come from the SEC. That's the most of any Power 4 conference. Next is 12 from the B1G (27.2 percent). Monken believes he can get truthful feedback about college prospects as a result of the relationships he’s built in the SEC. “You want to know about a certain player,” Monken said. “Tell me about how this player is wired. Do they love football, the day to day? I think any of those relationships that are stronger, you're going to cut to the core of what they really are.”
4. Which brings up the extent of influence that Monken will have in the Browns’ draft. Kevin Stefanski had little, to be honest, in the six drafts as Browns head coach. In 2025, Stefanski was part of the Browns' entourage that traveled to quarterback pro days and workouts when the organization sought to populate the QB room with young prospects. But other than that, Stefanski had little to do with Berry’s drafts – and he was fine with that. Monken, who flatly describes himself as “a football coach” – no more, no less – doesn’t expect, or desire, a great influence in the Browns’ draft. “I think not only myself, but our staff and anyone who’s been involved with this, we’ve had a big say, but not 'our way.' And I think that’s all you can ask for as a coaching staff is you have a say, right? We’re going to evaluate these players. Now, we don’t have enough film to do the work that the scouting staff has done the whole year. We can’t.”
5. As for the present Browns quarterback room, Monken echoed the sentiments of Berry that he would be content to conduct a competition among Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Another quarterback will be added, but Monken, like Berry, gave no indication that fourth QB would be a serious contender for QB1. At this time, the organization sees the QB1 emerging from Sanders, Watson and Gabriel. “I think it's an open competition,” Monken said. “I mean, I don't why it wouldn't be an open competition. I don't mean that saying it harshly, but I don't think there's enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, ‘Boy, we have our starter at quarterback’ yet. Whether internally or externally.”
6. Monken said he has dived more deeply into evaluating his QBs on hand, but that process hasn’t resulted in any conclusions. On Sanders, Monken said, “I think what you see is elite playmaking ability. That's in him. You've seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there's a ways to go, but what rookie … what first year player doesn't have a long way to go? I'm excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks, and all of our players.”
7. On Watson, Monken said, “I think anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you're always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again, and I think that's how you should look at every player. I’m going to let it play out. I think it'd be completely unfair … just like it would be in any classroom setting, be it a history exam and all the students walk in and before they're actually given the exam, you give them a grade. Well, how would you give them a grade? Based on male, female, race, how they look, how they're dressed? I think that's unfair. Now you're going to have some pre-conceived notions, obviously, because we have prior evidence, but I don't decide who plays. The players decide who plays. I've never decided who plays.”
8. There’s a narrative going around that Monken favors dual-threat quarterbacks because of his experience as an air-raid offensive coach at Southern Mississippi and his three years with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. Truth is, most NFL coaches want a mobile QB, as pocket-passers (Jared Goff, Joe Flacco, et al.) are finding it more difficult to operate in the modern game. Monken believes all three QBs on hand fit the bill. “I think all three of the quarterbacks have mobility,” he said. “I think you see that on tape. I think Shedeur surprised me a little bit … he's got a knack, he's got a feel. Like he does in playmaking, he has a real sense in the pocket when it starts to collapse and moving around the pocket, and he made more plays or got himself out of trouble than I would've guessed, than I would've thought even coming out, which was nice to see. As has Deshaun and Dillon.”
9. Monken amplified the desire of the Browns to have left guard Joel Bitonio come back for a 13th season. He said he met Bitonio in his office a few weeks ago. "We tried to talk him into it right then. But he was not in that position yet to say he wanted to come back.” As the Browns seek to reconfigure their offensive line, they would love to have one ‘anchor’ they can count on and that would be Bitonio. “A hundred percent,” Monken said. “I'm for really good football players and I'm for really good football players that are wired like Joel. There's not many wired like Joel. Like, what he says, how he carries himself, how he prepares. I mean it's unbelievable. He's a rare -- I mean how many years he played [12]? And the pounding he's taken and continued to play at such a high level.”
10. Monken has been interviewing candidates for assistant defensive line coach. He said it’s the last remaining vacancy on his staff and he expects to fill it imminently.