One of the shocking slides in NFL draft history ended in the fifth round as the Cleveland Browns traded their 166th and 192nd picks to the Seattle Seahawks to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 144th overall choice on Saturday.
The selection marked the end of a free fall that saw Sanders, who was regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the class, go from a potential first-round pick to a Day 3 selection. The Browns spent extensive time with Sanders through the predraft process — a large contingent of Browns coaches, execs and the ownership group traveled to Boulder, Colorado, to have dinner with him and former teammate Travis Hunter the night before their pro day workout — and he now lands in Cleveland, though much later than many envisioned.
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Sanders’ arrival comes at an inflection point for the Browns’ franchise. Last month, owner Jimmy Haslam called the team’s 2022 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson, which cost Cleveland three first-rounders and a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, a “big swing-and-miss.” It marked the first time anyone within the organization publicly acknowledged that the trade failed, despite three seasons of evidence on the field. Watson has been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks since arriving in Cleveland and is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025 season with a right Achilles injury that ended his 2024 campaign and which he re-tore in the offseason.
Sanders is also the second quarterback the Browns have taken in the 2025 draft, following the selection of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Sanders joins a remodeled quarterback room that also includes Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, both of whom were added this offseason.
Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi answers the biggest questions surrounding the team’s decision to take a second quarterback in the draft. Plus, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler shares league intel on what led to the slide and draft analyst Steve Muench breaks down Sanders’ playing style.
Why did the Browns select Sanders after drafting Gabriel?
Picking Gabriel over Sanders in the third round was a widespread surprise but the Browns trading up to take Sanders two rounds later usurped that. To general manager Andrew Berry, it came down to maximizing value with a pick at the game’s most important position. Berry on Saturday acknowledged that he didn’t enter the draft expecting to take two quarterbacks but was flexible as it unfolded. Entering Day 3, he had discussions with his staff about the possibility of targeting Sanders if he continued to fall in the draft. After teams selected multiple players whom the Browns were interested in, Berry said he ultimately decided there was too much value in selecting Sanders to pass up.
“Once it got to a point where it felt like it was a pretty steep discount, we just felt like, especially relative to the alternative ways that we could use this selection, this made the most sense,” Berry said. — Oyefusi
What caused Sanders’ slide in the draft?
Sanders’ lack of top-end talent left him without an NFL home after Day 1. The slide out of Day 2 is harder to explain. Clearly the league spoke: Teams had a problem with Sanders and all that encompasses his draft profile. Yes, whispers persisted that his predraft process did not go well, particularly his interviews. But as a few people inside the league have surmised, slides happen when talent doesn’t match or surpass potential drawbacks. Teams hate distractions. If they felt Sanders’ presence would be one for whatever reason, his ability at the next level wasn’t intoxicating enough to offset all of that. And, more than that, this was a logistical issue. Three teams that made the most sense — the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints — liked other options better. Once the third round hit, there was a scarcity of teams in need of a passer. — Fowler
What are people around the league saying about Sanders’ slide?
That the fifth round for him is a bit ridiculous. While many evaluators graded him as a Day 2 pick, I’ve talked to multiple personnel evaluators I trust who graded him as a late first-rounder. That’s why they consider the Browns a good spot; they were a team without an unquestioned starter.
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Stylistically, Sanders is a fit for Stefanski’s offense. He can thrive off play action. One challenge for Sanders: The Browns drafted Gabriel two rounds ahead of him. This all proves the thin margins in the predraft process. In what’s considered a weaker quarterback class, perceptions varied wildly by team. Quarterbacks can slip further than other positions due to the importance of fit and fewer job opportunities. Couple that with a shaky predraft process and that can cost a talented passer like Sanders. — Fowler
What are Sanders’ prospects for playing time in 2025?
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said that anyone who is added to the quarterback room will be expected to compete for starting time. Sanders enters a four-man race with an experienced veteran in Flacco, a former first-round pick in Pickett and another rookie adjusting to the pros in Gabriel.
After a failed attempt last season to revamp the offense to better fit Watson, the Browns fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and promoted tight ends coach/passing game specialist Tommy Rees to fill the vacancy. So, the team is rebuilding its scheme with a quartet of new passers, although Flacco has familiarity with Stefanski from his stint late in the 2023 season, when he went 4-1 as a starter in the regular season and helped guide Cleveland back to the playoffs en route to Comeback Player of the Year honors.
“Obviously you may not divide [the practice reps] ’25, 25, 25,’ but we feel really confident that we’ll have a plan that is fair to each player and fair to the team as well,” Stefanski said. — Oyefusi
Does this officially close the book on the Watson era in Cleveland?
The Browns have said Watson’s health status makes his future uncertain. There are two more years remaining on his five-year contract and the Browns owe him $46 million in each of the next two seasons. However, the team has been operating as if he will not be available for the 2025 season and its recent moves highlight an attempt to move on at the quarterback position.
Watson will be on the roster for the 2025 season and then the team will have to make a decision on parting ways with him and dealing with the financial repercussions that come with it. Releasing Watson after the 2025 season with a post-June-1 designation — a salary cap mechanism that allows teams to cut players and divide the remaining dead cap charges into two seasons — would leave the Browns with a $135 million dead cap charge that could be split between the 2026 and 2027 seasons. For reference, the Denver Broncos took on an NFL-record $85 million dead cap hit for releasing quarterback Russell Wilson in March 2024. If the Browns parted ways with Watson after the 2026 season, the dead money would drop to $53 million. — Oyefusi
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Shedeur Sanders elated after being drafted by Browns
Shedeur Sanders celebrates with family and friends after being selected with the 144th pick by the Browns.
How important is figuring out the QB situation to Stefanski and Berry’s future?
It’s paramount. When they arrived in 2020, the duo inherited quarterback Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, and developed him into a quality starter who helped break the franchise’s 17-year playoff win drought. However, the relationship with the organization soured, which led them to trade for Watson; Mayfield was traded to the Carolina Panthers months later.
What to know from the 2025 NFL draft
• See all 257 picks | Pick-by-pick analysis• Kiper’s grades | Judging overreactions• Kiper’s Day 1 winners | Day 2 winners• Sanders to Browns | Hunter to Jaguars• Round 1 spin | Big questions | Trades
Since then, eight different quarterbacks have started for the Browns, including four during the 2024 season. Berry and Stefanski were given extensions last offseason for guiding Cleveland to the playoffs twice in four years and Haslam preached confidence in them despite a 3-14 finish last season. He also took blame for the Watson transaction and said he wouldn’t put pressure on his decision-making tandem to force a quarterback pick. But now they have two young quarterbacks who could possibly find the franchise an answer at the position. Haslam has asked for patience but said he expects the team to compete in 2025. — Oyefusi
What are the Browns getting with Sanders on the field?
Sanders is physically and mentally tough. He takes big hits to make plays and can elevate his game in critical situations. He held onto the ball too long and tried to make too much happen in 2024, but he has shown the ability to get the ball out and pick defenses apart with short to intermediate passes over the course of his career. Sanders can throw receivers open, holding safeties with his eyes and getting through his progressions given time and space. He keeps his eyes downfield as he moves around the pocket, and he makes off-platform throws. His arm is strong enough to make every throw, and he can pass into tight windows when he gets the ball out on time and with anticipation. He also can scramble for first downs. Stefanski has had success coaching accurate quarterbacks like Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins in the past. Gabriel and Sanders both fit the mold and can compete. — Muench
