In the biggest stunner of the 2025 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders fell to the Browns in round five at No. 144 overall. Sanders was widely expected to be a top-10 pick, with most scouts and analysts believing that he would be the second quarterback taken after Miami’s Cam Ward, who went first overall to the Tennessee Titans.
Ward, Jaxson Dart (25th overall to the New York Giants), Tyler Shough (40th to the New Orleans Saints), Jalen Milroe (92nd to the Seattle Seahawks) and Dillon Gabriel (94th to the Browns) were the five quarterbacks taken before Sanders.
Sanders, Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are battling it out for the Browns’ starting quarterback job. Flacco and Pickett are reportedly the two front-runners for the QB1 job, but Sanders and Gabriel still have time to change the minds of their coaches.
There’s plenty of work to be done, but this beautiful throw from Shedeur Sanders in practice is only a reminder of what he’s capable of:
Social media was speechless over this dandy of a throw by the 23-year-old:
“Keep going Shedeur. They haters will say it’s photoshop. 😎,” said a fan.
“Get him in Canton ASAP,” one fan wrote.
“And he’s dealing with his dad’s health issues!!! Maybe the browns got a steal with this pick. They should dump Watson , eat the guaranteed money,” said another.
“Love to see it for the Kid,” a fan wrote.
“Looked good moving up in the pocket,” said a fan.
“Yeah he should start, wrote another.
Sanders will presumably get meaningful snaps in preseason, so a strong showing there could entice head coach Kevin Stefanski to hand him the starting job. The Browns begin preseason play against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8.
Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Story Hasn’t Been Written Yet
One could understand Sanders’ disappointment and frustration with falling all the day down to round five. But as legendary quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Roger Staubach have shown, your draft placement doesn’t decide your future.
If Sanders shows the world-class talents we saw at Jackson State and Colorado, he will succeed in the NFL long-term, be it in Cleveland or somewhere else.
