The Cleveland Browns stunned the NFL when they selected two quarterbacks within the first five rounds of the draft this year, and many speculated that the second pick came from ownership. Apparently that was not the case.
The Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round, but that did not stop them from landing Shedeur Sanders. Cleveland traded up in the fifth round to select Sanders after the former Colorado star slid much further down the board than expected.
While speaking with reporters at training camp on Tuesday, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Cleveland’s brass had a collective discussion about picking Sanders’ but that general manager Andrew Berry made the final call.
“If you had told me Friday night driving home y’all are gonna pick Shedeur, I would say that’s not happening,” Haslam said. “We had a conversation early (Saturday) morning and then we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation.
“At the end of the day, that’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur. Just like who’s gonna start or what play we’re gonna call, that’s Kevin (Stefanski’s) call. But that’s Andrew’s call. He made the call.”
#Browns Jimmy Haslam stresses that Shedeur Sanders was Andrew Berry’s pick, not his. pic.twitter.com/sD3yQYwSq8
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) July 29, 2025
Haslam has not exactly been a hands-off owner throughout the years. He was the driving force behind the Deshaun Watson trade, which turned out to be a disaster. The 71-year-old recently made a major admission about that move.
A video that circulated during the NFL Draft showed Berry and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looking quite unenthused about the Sanders pick. That led many to conclude that the decision must have come from Haslam, but the owner insists it did not.
