The Cleveland Browns selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 144th pick in the fifth round of the NFL draft on Saturday, a surprising slide down the boards for a prospect considered by many a first-round lock.
Sanders was a lightning rod during draft season. While many projected him as a first-round selection — anywhere as high as No. 3 to the New York Giants or No. 21 to the Pittsburgh Steelers — he went undrafted on the first two nights.
Ultimately, he was selected in the fifth round by Cleveland. Five quarterbacks — Miami’s Cam Ward, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel — went ahead of Sanders.Minutes after the pick was made, Sanders posted to X, simply saying, “Thank you GOD.”
The Browns shortly afterward posted a sizzle reel of Sanders with the caption, “Another playmaker in the mix.”
“We felt like he was a good solid prospect at the most important position,” Andrew Berry, Browns executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement issued by the team. “We view him as a highly accurate pocket passer who does a good job of taking care of the ball ... We’re excited to work with him.”Sanders joins a crowded quarterback room in Cleveland and is the second play caller picked by the Browns this draft, after Dillon Gabriel. Veteran QBs Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are already on the roster.
Entering Saturday, Sanders was the best prospect still available, according to NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers, who ranked Sanders 30th on his NFL draft board.
Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, began his collegiate career at Jackson State in 2021 when his father was the head coach. Both left for Colorado after the 2022 season, and Shedeur Sanders spent his final two years in college with the Buffaloes.
In his senior season, Sanders won Big 12 offensive player of the year, completing 74.0% of his passes, with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also threw 4,134 yards.
Sanders was a key figure in Colorado’s turnaround as a football program. The school won only one game the season before his arrival. In 2024, the Buffaloes won nine games for the first time since 2016.
In the lead-up to the draft, Sanders was the target of several scouts and coaches, with his character off the field often being called into question.
