Shedeur Sanders is finally off the board.
The Cleveland Browns traded up to select Sanders with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Cleveland gave up the 166th and 192nd picks in order to move up for Sanders.
The Browns’ decision to trade up to draft Sanders comes as a bit of a surprise. Cleveland had already selected former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round, and many assumed that ruled out any chance of Sanders landing there. Evidently, Cleveland felt that the chance to get Sanders at this point of the draft represented too good a value to pass up.
Sanders is entering a very crowded quarterback room. In addition to Gabriel, the Browns signed Joe Flacco and traded for Kenny Pickett earlier in the offseason. They also have Deshaun Watson, though it is unlikely he will be a factor in 2025.
For Sanders, his nightmarish NFL Draft is finally over. He wound up falling all the way to the fifth round after some felt he might go as high as No. 3 overall, though apparently he hurt himself during the pre-draft process. He even had to endure a very cruel prank one day earlier.
Despite the huge fall, Sanders ends up in a decent spot. The Browns still have no clearly established starter for 2025, with Flacco arguably the frontrunner. Sanders will have to compete with Gabriel and Pickett as well, but prior to the draft, many would have probably felt the former Colorado quarterback could emerge from that group as the starter. Whether the Browns agree remains to be seen.
