Browns stop Shedeur Sanders’ slide, select Colorado QB in fifth round

The Cleveland Browns ended the long wait for Shedeur Sanders to find an NFL home.

Cleveland traded up to select the Colorado quarterback with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round Saturday, making him the sixth quarterback taken in this year’s draft. Considered to be among the top quarterbacks available in this year’s draft class, Sanders’ slide became the story of Day 3 as 143 picks came and went before his selection.

“I would say I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity throughout everything,” Sanders told reporters after being drafted. “I don’t ever focus on the negative. For me, it’s just playing QB, that’s what it’s about.”

The Browns, who drafted a quarterback – Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel – in the third round on Friday as well, traded pick Nos. 166 and 192 to the Seattle Seahawks to move up to 144 and get Sanders.

After slipping out of the first round, Sanders seemed confident he would be among the next crop of players announced. During a draft party at his father Deion’s home on Thursday night, Sanders told the crowd, “Tomorrow is the day.”

But Rounds 2 and 3 passed Friday, and the former Colorado QB went unclaimed. Five QBs went ahead of him, including two in the first round. The Tennessee Titans used the first pick to take Miami’s Cam Ward, and the New York Giants traded up to snag Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart at No. 25. Louisville’s Tyler Shough was the lone QB selected in Round 2 (No. 40, New Orleans Saints) while Round 3 saw Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (No. 92) and Gabriel (No. 94) land with the Seahawks and Browns, respectively.

“I can’t speak to why the market priced him the way it did,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. “We had our own internal evaluation. … Once it got to a price we felt was a pretty steep discount, it just made sense.”

In Cleveland, Sanders joins a quarterback room that includes veteran Joe Flacco, fourth-year pro Kenny Pickett and the fellow rookie in Gabriel. The Browns also still have Deshaun Watson, who retore his Achilles and underwent a second surgery this offseason to repair it, putting his 2025 in jeopardy.

“We talk about QB being the most important position in sports … Shedeur is highly accurate, highly productive,” Berry said. “We do believe in best player available. We love adding competition to every position room.”

Sanders, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, followed his 27-touchdown, three-interception junior season with a conference-leading 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, 353 completions and 8.7 yards gained per attempt in 2024. He added four rushing touchdowns and 10 interceptions while his 74% completion rate led the FBS.

Sanders spent his entire college career playing under his dad, the first two seasons at Jackson State and the final two at Colorado.

“Being Deion’s son is never a burden. Wouldn’t look at it as that,” Sanders said. “God makes everybody have their own routes, and this is just my route.”

The 23-year-old Sanders teamed with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to lead Colorado to its first winning season since 2016 and only its second nine-win season since 2002.

That led to Sanders’ perceived status as one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. The reasons for his slide will be dissected.

“Nothing really affected me the last couple days. I’m blessed,” Sanders said. “The love of the game is still the game. I know I have to clean up some things in my game to be at my best.”

Sanders opted against competing in the Shrine Bowl and participating in drills at the combine. He throws an accurate deep ball, as he showcased at Colorado’s pro day, but he also showed some wobbly throws on shorter routes, and league evaluators described his arm strength as good but not great. There were also questions about Sanders’ ability to grow and carry a locker room for teams looking for a franchise player.

As he waited on Friday, Sanders was the victim of a prank call in which someone impersonated Saints general manager Mickey Loomis minutes before New Orleans announced its 40th pick.

“People are morons,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said about the prank call. “It’s sad.”