The Cleveland Browns’ picking Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft surprised fans and analysts alike. However, the selection of the former Colorado Buffaloes star fits perfectly with the team’s draft strategy, as outlined by General Manager Andrew Berry.
Seeing the son of the legendary Deion Sanders slide through round after round this weekend was the big surprise of the draft. Experts considered him one of the draft’s top prospects after a standout season with the Buffs, despite rumors that battered his reputation in the weeks leading up to the event.
However, four rounds went by without a team calling the young Sanders. It took the sixth pick of the fifth round, 144th overall, for the Browns to decide to call him, causing some analysts to wonder, especially since the team had selected quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
Berry and the Browns’ reasons
On Saturday, after the draft ended, Andrew Berry revealed that the team had positively evaluated Sanders heading into the draft. “He’s highly accurate. He can play well from the pocket. Very productive college career,” explained the Browns GM.
However, he also admitted, “It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to draft two quarterbacks. We believe in the best player available. We didn’t expect him to be available in the fifth.” In fact, five other quarterbacks were selected before Sanders in this draft.
The Browns’ QB room puzzle
Sanders arrives in a crowded quarterback room for the Browns. In free agency, Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco and traded for Kenny Pickett. They’re also waiting for star Deshaun Watson, who could miss much of next season nursing an Achilles tendon injury.
Counting Sanders and Gabriel, the Browns have five quarterbacks and perhaps four open spots. Analysts point out that Cleveland has been trying to find a franchise quarterback for a few years, and just when it seemed Watson was their man, the injury he suffered last October ruined all their plans.
The situation is less than ideal for Sanders, but this is the moment for the young signal-caller to step out of his famous father’s shadow and prove he’s worthy of his own place in NFL history.
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