By selecting Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 draft and placing him in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns stopped Shedeur Sanders’ precipitous slide down the board. This was not at all what anybody outside the league expected. Based on Sanders’ tape alone, he looked like a second-round talent, which – based on quarterback prospects over time – could have shoved him into the first round, given the importance of the position.
Instead, Sanders had to wait and wait and wait, and everybody watching on ESPN or the NFL Network had to wade through an intolerable level of Sanders discussion, while dozens of deserving prospects had their own stories overshadowed. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr, one of the industry’s most respected draft analysts, was particularly strident in his arguments that the NFL had no idea what it was doing by letting Sanders go undrafted for so long.
Beyond the morning show-level dialogue is the specter of Sanders’ value to the NFL, and how he overcomes this embarrassment. The 23-year-old is certainly not the first quarterback to be drafted far below what his talent would indicate, but the reported issues that he brings to the league, if true, would explain a lot.
Regarding Sanders’ meetings with teams in the lead-up to the draft, NFL Network insider Tom Pellissero said, At the [scouting] combine, it is now well documented some of his formal interviews did not go well. In all his years, one assistant coach told me that it was the worst formal interview he had ever been through. People said that Shadeur was trying to dictate how he wanted things to go, and made them feel small.
According to other insiders, Sanders was unable to do so when NFL coaches asked him to show his work on schematic packages he had been given and then asked him to explain in the room. The sense was that this was not due to a lack of processing ability. Sanders simply didn’t do the work.
If Sanders wants to repair the damage that has been done to his reputation in the eyes of the public, he now has a lot of work to do. It is essential to note that individuals such as Sean Payton and Jerry Jones were willing to speak out in support of Sanders’ character. The Browns had already selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round, and Gabriel – who set the FBS record for total touchdowns in his estimable collegiate tenure – will not be an easy guy to beat.
Gabriel was one of college football’s best quarterbacks last season when throwing deep, under pressure, and going through the receiver progressions that every NFL quarterback needs to know. Were Gabriel, not a smaller (5ft 11in, 205lb) quarterback, a lefty, and 24 years old, Sanders as a backup and Gabriel as the starter probably wouldn’t be a discussion. Both quarterbacks will also have to compete with veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco for the starting job in Cleveland.
Sanders’ adjustments to NFL football will be interesting beyond what happens on the field. Sanders faced perhaps the NCAA’s worst offensive line in 2024, which resulted in 40 sacks and 204 pressures on his 563 dropbacks. And he was pretty good himself under pressure – per Pro Football Focus, Sanders completed 76 of 138 passes when disrupted for 1,117 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 95.6.
The two quarterbacks selected in the first round, Miami’s Cam Ward (first overall by the Tennessee Titans) and Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart (25th overall to the New York Giants) had passer ratings under pressure of 88.7 and 83.9, respectively.
Colorado’s offense also did not give Sanders the benefit of enough of the concepts far more familiar to NFL quarterbacks, like play-action, designed pocket movement, pre-snap motion, and advanced route concepts designed to give the quarterback easier openings.
Sanders now does not have to swing a weighted bat at Colorado, which gives him an advantage in one way. However, it will take more than a minute to get used to the offense that the Browns’ head coach and offensive shot-caller, Kevin Stefanski, has put together, which is full of these positive constructs. The history of college quarterbacks converting from simple spread-out offenses to the dimensional complexity of the NFL is not a favorable one.
Additionally, the coaches of Sanders will need to fully embrace the idea of his inclusion on the roster. There could be conflict here. Haslam led the charge for the Deshaun Watson trade and subsequent contract in 2022, which ultimately combined to form perhaps the worst deal in sports history, and he strong-armed former Browns general manager Ray Farmer to select all-time draft bust quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in that draft. If things did not change at this point, that would be bad for everyone involved. Soon after the selection was made, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of Sanders, We felt like he was a good solid prospect at the most important position. We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft; the acquisition cost was pretty light. And it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot.
I wouldn’t say anything more than that about it. Shadeur has kind of grown up in the spotlight. But our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing’s been promised; nothing will be given. So I may hesitate to characterize it as a blockbuster – that’s not necessarily how we thought of the transaction. But we are excited to work with him.
Therefore, the Browns have already hedged their bets and are hoping that the focus on Sanders’ selection will not overshadow the actual football game. Sanders became a college star by turning around – along with his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and brilliant teammate Travis Hunter – a formerly destitute program in Colorado, and his slide in the draft was the perfect drama for every talking head in the world. But now, with minicamp workouts starting soon (the Browns’ first minicamp begins on 27 May), Sanders’ story must be all about the tough, grueling work, and adhering to a system as opposed to calling the shots.
From the installation of the first playbook to the crucible of the preseason, Sanders has just a few months to make his point before the regular season begins at the beginning of September. He has already shown the toughness and grit to make that happen, but as to the ability to work in an environment where neither he nor his father is the alphas in the equation, the jury is still out.
It’s crude to encourage Sanders to be humbled by this experience; that’s not what it’s all about. But if this experience provided a reality check for Sanders, letting him know in uncertain terms that the path to NFL success can be littered with obstacles (both external and self-inflicted), that may not be the worst thing in the world.