The Cleveland Browns ended the long wait for Shedeur Sanders to find an NFL home.
Cleveland traded up to select the Colorado quarterback with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round Saturday, making him the sixth quarterback taken in this year’s draft. Considered to be among the top quarterbacks available in this year’s draft class, Sanders’ slide became the story of Day 3 as 143 picks came and went before his selection.
The Browns, who drafted a quarterback — Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel — in the third round on Friday as well, traded pick Nos. 166 and 192 to the Seattle Seahawks to move up to 144 and get Sanders.
It’s time to be legendary. ⌚️ @ShedeurSanders @Browns
— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2025
After slipping out of the first round, Sanders seemed confident he would be among the next crop of players announced. During a draft party at his father Deion’s home on Thursday night, Sanders told the crowd, “Tomorrow is the day.”
But Rounds 2 and 3 passed Friday, and the former Colorado QB went unclaimed. Five QBs went ahead of him, including two in the first round. The Tennessee Titans used the first pick to take Miami’s Cam Ward, and the New York Giants traded up to snag Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25. Louisville’s Tyler Shough was the lone QB selected in Round 2 (No. 40, New Orleans Saints) while Round 3 saw Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (No. 92) and Gabriel (No. 94) land with the Seattle Seahawks and Browns, respectively.
Said Browns general manager Andrew Berry: “I can’t speak to why the market priced him the way it did. We had our own internal evaluation. … Once it got to a price we felt was a pretty steep discount, it just made sense.”
In Cleveland, Sanders joins a quarterback room that includes veteran Joe Flacco, fourth-year pro Kenny Pickett and the fellow rookie in Gabriel. The Browns also still have Deshaun Watson, who retore his Achilles and underwent a second surgery this offseason to repair it, putting his 2025 in jeopardy.
“We talk about QB being the most important position in sports … Shedeur is highly accurate, highly productive,” Berry said. “We do believe in best player available. We love adding competition to every position room.”
Sanders, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, followed up his 27-touchdown, three-interception junior season with a conference-leading 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, 353 completions and 8.7 yards gained per attempt in 2024. He added four rushing touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while his 74 percent completion rate led the FBS.
The 23-year-old Sanders teamed with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to lead Colorado to its first winning season since 2016 and only its second nine-win season since 2002.
That led to Sanders’ perceived status as one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. The reasons for his slide will be dissected.
Sanders opted against competing in the Shrine Bowl and participating in drills at the combine. He throws an accurate deep ball, as he showcased at Colorado’s pro day, but he also showed some wobbly throws on shorter routes, and league evaluators described his arm strength as good but not great. There were also questions about Sanders’ ability to grow and carry a locker room for teams looking for a franchise player.
As he waited on Friday, Sanders was the victim of a prank call in which someone impersonated Saints general manager Mickey Loomis minutes before New Orleans announced its 40th pick.
“People are morons,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said about the prank call. “It’s sad.”
The Athletic has live coverage of Rounds 4-7 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Read more of The Athletic’s coverage from the 2025 NFL Draft: Best Players Available | Rounds 2 & 3 Grades | Day 2 Winners & Losers
Sanders’ slide elicited reactions from the football world and beyond. Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday he was “surprised” to see Sanders still undrafted.
“There will be this chip on his shoulder and beware, because this guy is going to play in this league,” Payton said. “I think it’s hard for any of us to explain what other people are looking for.”
Notable QBs selected on the final day include Tom Brady (sixth-round pick in 2000) and the “Mr. Irrelevant” of 2022, Brock Purdy.
Sanders’ brother Shilo is also a Day 3 draft hopeful. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler rated Shilo Sanders as his No. 43 safety, with a UDFA grade.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Sanders ranked No. 34 in Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Although not close to the athlete his father was, Sanders is a controlled, polished passer who gets the ball out accurately in structure and when throwing on the move.
“The chief concern on his college tape is his inconsistent pocket feel, which was highlighted by poor protection. … Overall, Sanders doesn’t have the physical traits to get away with some of his decisions, but he is a poised, rhythmic passer when he stays true to his skill set, and he shows the necessary touch and confidence of an NFL starter. He fits best in a timing-based offense.”
Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about Sanders in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“I think he has good arm talent and really good poise. I think he’s almost too cocky, at least at the college level, where he would take some really bad sacks. Decision-making-wise, I think he thinks he’s better than everybody else, and that does help him elevate his game, but it also gets him into some bad situations. And if he doesn’t shake that, he’s gonna take way too many sacks in the NFL.”
OMARION MILLER WOULDN’T BE DENIED 😱
This was a wild touchdown by @CUBuffsFootball 🦬 pic.twitter.com/VO6OVfcrQ5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 22, 2024
How he fits
The quarterback room is crowded, but there’s no real answer for who might be playing in September or December. It might be fair to say there was no real plan, either, but we’ll tackle that later. Sanders becomes the fourth healthy quarterback on the Browns’ roster, and all four were added in the last seven weeks.
The selection of Sanders says the Browns believe in his talents and will be getting a motivated player after he slipped to No. 144, regardless of the reasons for the extended wait. If Sanders proves he can play and is worthy of further development, he could fit into the long-term plans. — Zac Jackson
Depth chart analysis
The Browns will hold an open competition this spring and summer for the starting quarterback job. Flacco is probably the favorite to win the job, but nothing is certain. The Browns signed Flacco to a one-year deal earlier this month and also have the four-year vet Pickett, whom they acquired for a fifth-round pick in March.
The Browns selected Oregon’s Gabriel in the third round, and though it’s unlikely Gabriel or Sanders could win the starting job this summer, it’s also impossible to predict how things will shake out. Pickett is under contract only for this season, and Gabriel and Sanders will sign standard four-year rookie deals. — Jackson
They also could have picked …
Any available wide receiver or offensive lineman. It’s not that Sanders is a bad pick, especially at this stage of the draft. It’s just a surprising pick given how many times the Browns and other quarterback-needy teams passed on him and that Cleveland inexplicably used pick No. 94 on Gabriel Friday night. — Jackson
Fast evaluation
Sanders is an accurate passer who helped elevate two college programs, and the Browns extensively met with and studied him in the pre-draft process. Sanders going from having first- and second-round grades to being available early in the fifth round probably says teams had concerns about him both on and off the field. But now Sanders gets a chance — with almost no guarantee — to show he’s good enough to eventually become an NFL starter. — Jackson
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
