Besides the Titans’ first overall pick, Cam Ward, the remaining 12 quarterbacks selected in the last draft will likely start the season on the bench. However, some have projections to be starters in the near future, such as Jaxson Dart with the Giants, Jalen Milroe with the Seahawks, and Will Howard with the Steelers. The rest will have to find their own way and look for a place on the team that drafted them or elsewhere if necessary.
The two who generate the most intrigue are undoubtedly Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ 94th pick, who arrived as a national champion, and Shedeur Sanders, the Browns’ 144th pick, who has more opportunities because of his last name. Sandershas come to the NFL with a lot of media attention, which he has handled wonderfully. However, the most important thing in the NFL is to show your game, not to generate media attention.
Colin Cowherd Delivers a Brutal Reality Check to Sanders
Shedeur Sanders just took a verbal smackdown from Colin Cowherd, and it’s stinging as his NFL debut looms. The Fox Sports host didn’t hold back on The Herd, pointing out how Sanders, once pegged as a first-round lock, tumbled to the fifth round where the Browns traded up to grab him. Now, he’s in a dogfight for the starting gig against Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Cowherd didn’t mince words: “He slid to the fifth round-sixth or seventh, maybe undrafted if not for Jimmy Haslam, that impulsive Cleveland owner meddling,” he said, highlighting the gap between NFL scouts’ views and the hype. Then came the knockout punch: “Bailey Zappe got drafted higher… I don’t know what to make of it.” Fair point or not, it’s a wake-up call.
Sure, draft position isn’t everything-Tom Brady went 199th, and late-round gems like Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott turned heads in their first camps to snag starting roles and hold them-but Sanders has to prove he’s more than a name.
Training Camp as Sanders’ Make-or-Break Moment
With training camp on the horizon, Shedeur and Gabriel are engaged in a fierce competition for the Week 1 starting position against the Bengals, alongside Flacco and Pickett. If you can call it an advantage, they’re joining a Browns franchise that’s been mired in mediocrity this century, with just three playoff appearances-two under Kevin Stefanski. Since 1999, the Browns have cycled through 40 different starters, which means opportunity but zero guarantees for the future.
Preseason games will be their first chance to stand out, but it’s during training camp that coaches determine who has what it takes and who is destined for the bench. For Sanders, this is the ultimate proving ground-it’s time to back up the hype with hard-nosed play.
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