Why Shedeur Sanders Can Have the Last Laugh

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Why Shedeur Sanders Can Have the Last Laugh

Luke Easterling · Athlon Sports

Sat, Apr 26, 2025 ·

4 min read

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For the majority of the 2025 NFL Draft process, the conversation surrounding Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was all about where he would land in the first round.

Would it be as high as the top three picks to a team like the Cleveland Browns or the New York Giants , or would he have to wait a little longer, falling slightly to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 overall, or perhaps to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 21? If not there, would a team move back into the latter part of the round to scoop him up?

As the draft drew closer, it seemed more and more possible that Sanders could fall out of the first round entirely. When that indeed was the case Thursday night, conventional wisdom still said those same teams would be likely to stop his tumble at some point on Day 2 of the draft.

That didn't happen either, as the first three rounds of this year's draft came and went without Sanders heading his name called.

Day 3 of the draft began Saturday with the fourth round, and once again, Sanders wasn't selected.

Finally, at the 144th overall selection in the fifth round, the Browns traded up with the Philadelphia Eagles to land Sanders.

It's a unique landing spot for Sanders at this point, in part because the Browns already picked a quarterback earlier in the draft, opting for Oregon 's Dillon Gabriel late in the third round. They clearly preferred Gabriel, but couldn't resist the value of getting a quarterback many had pegged for the first round in the fifth round, regardless of any other factor.

Gabriel was barely ranked inside of the top 200 players on my board , while Sanders was ranked No. 24 overall, the last of my first-round grades. Despite Gabriel's impressive combination of experience and production, Sanders is clearly the more talented prospect at the position, and should have been selected much earlier.

Now both rookies land in a Cleveland quarterback room that already features an aging veteran in Joe Flacco and another young passer with starting experience in former first-rounder Kenny Pickett . Deshaun Watson is obviously still on the roster, but only because the Browns are saddled with his awful contract, and won't want to eat the dead money it would take to move on from it just yet.

It's a crowded room, to be sure, but Sanders is immediately the most talented quarterback on Cleveland's roster.

He doesn't have the high-end physical tools of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward , or the sky-high upside of third-round pick Jalen Milroe , but Sanders does have the best tools and the most upside in the Browns' quarterback room.

And now, after going from potential first-round pick to fifth-round afterthought, Sanders will also have a chip on his shoulder the size of the Rocky Mountains. He's proven the doubters wrong before after making the jump from Jackson State to Colorado and still putting up impressive numbers, and now, he'll likely be even more motivated to do it yet again at the NFL level.

Where Sanders does excel as a passer is with accuracy, decision-making and toughness, both mental and physical. Despite a lack of offensive line help and an absent running game, Sanders put up big numbers for the Buffs and helped lead them back to relevance over his two seasons in Boulder. His impressive ball placement and the ability to layer throws to all levels of the field will absolutely translate to the next level, and the best parts of his skill set will be an ideal fit for Kevin Stefanski's scheme in Cleveland.

No stranger to pressure, Sanders won't be phased by the daunting task of beating out a clogged position group as a rookie, nor the presence of a passionate fan base desperate for a true franchise quarterback they can be proud of, especially after the Watson debacle.

There are explosive weapons in Cleveland's offense, too. Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku are both legit stars, and after drafting both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the first four rounds of this year's draft, Sanders should immediately have a much better ground game than he ever enjoyed at Colorado.

It was a long wait for Sanders, but now that he's landed in Cleveland, he's got every opportunity to make every other team in the league regret passing on him.

And if he rises to the occasion for the Browns, in particular, he'll instantly become a fan favorite for a franchise starving for consistent success.

If all of that comes to pass, Sanders will be able to look back on draft weekend with a chuckle, and this entire process will only make his story more enjoyable to reflect on from the top of the mountain.

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