Quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, finally heard his name being called at the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders was drafted in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns took Sanders with the 144th overall pick, which they acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
Sanders was expected to be a first-round pick, being rated as the second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft after the University of Miami’s Cam Ward. However, Sanders experienced an unexpected slide, with Ward, who was selected first overall by the Tennessee Titans, and four other quarterbacks being selected before him.
Reportedly, the reason why Sanders waited so long was that the teams had questions about his arm strength, athleticism, and ability to adjust to the NFL after playing in a simple offense during his time at Colorado. Additionally, he had several bad interviews, and some franchises believed he would be a distraction considering his celebrity status and outspoken father.
Despite being in need of a quarterback, Cleveland passed on the opportunity to draft Sanders multiple times and even selected signal-caller Dillon Gabriel in the third round. But with Sanders still available in the fifth round, the Browns finally decided to roll the dice.
“We felt like it wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in the best player available, we do believe in positional value. We didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round,” said Brown’s general manager Andrew Berry.
Sanders led Colorado to a 9-4 record in 2024, throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He was honored as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and had his No. 2 with the Buffaloes retired.
