Shedeur Sanders entered draft week with sky-high expectations. Analysts pegged him as a first-round lock-some even whispered top three. But as the 2025 NFL Draft unfolded, the Colorado quarterback watched team after team pass him by. By the time the Cleveland Browns called his name with the 144th pick in the fifth round, every franchise had at least two chances to grab him. Was it his play? His famous last name? Or just draft chaos? No one knows for sure, but the fall was steep. Now, Shedeur joins a Browns team known for quarterback turmoil and will likely start his rookie year on the bench. In the Internet age, though, attention – good or bad – is currency, and Shedeur has plenty of it. Funny thing is, his dad, Deion Sanders, once vowed he’d never let a young QB like him end up in Cleveland.
Deion’s 2018 Tweet Haunts the Draft
Weeks before the draft, Deion Sanders made a bold statement: One of his Colorado stars-either Shedeur or Heisman champ Travis Hunter-would wear Browns orange. He pulled it off, but not the way everyone imagined. Cleveland traded the No. 2 pick to the Jaguars, who scooped up Hunter, leaving Shedeur to slide. Back in 2018, Deion tweeted, “I love what the Browns did this offseason, but if I’m a young QB, there’s no way I’m going to Cleveland.
I would draft an ELI MANNING if possible.” He had a point – since 1999, the Browns have gone through 40 starting quarterbacks, more than anyone else in the NFL. Only Tim Couch (2001) and Baker Mayfield (2019, 2020) have lasted a full season. Deion’s jab at Cleveland’s mess now feels like a boomerang, with Shedeur landing exactly where his father feared. As a father, Deion indicated he’d steer his son away from tough spots, but fate had other plans.
What’s Next for the Browns’ Quarterback Mess?
Heading into the season, Cleveland’s quarterback situation is a puzzle with too many pieces. Five signal-callers crowd the roster: the injured Deshaun Watson, seasoned veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, rookie Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon, and now Shedeur. Cuts or trades are coming – Pickett or Gabriel could be the odd men out, given Watson’s contract and Flacco’s reliability.
Coach Kevin Stefanski has a solid reputation, but he’s inheriting a franchise with a dismal track record: just three playoff trips this century, one lone win. Training camp will be a proving ground, determining who rises and who falls on the final 53-man depth chart. Shedeur has the skills to make noise, but he’ll need patience and grit to crack this lineup.
The Browns haven’t exactly been a dream landing spot for quarterbacks, and Shedeur’s unexpected arrival adds another twist to their saga. Deion’s old tweet stings a little more now, but it’s Shedeur’s chance to flip the script. If he can navigate the competition and Cleveland’s rocky history, he could turn a fifth-round snub into a legacy-defining story. For now, the spotlight is on the camp-let’s see who’s still standing when the season kicks off.
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