The Cleveland Browns ended the wait for Shedeur Sanders, selecting the polarizing Colorado quarterback in the fifth round with pick No. 144 overall.
Sanders’ draft slide turned into one of the biggest stories of the weekend. Once projected as a surefire first-round pick — and even mentioned in early conversations as a potential No. 1 overall selection — Sanders saw his stock tumble dramatically over the course of the draft.
Teams continued to pass on him through the early and middle rounds. By the time Day 3 rolled around, Sanders was still waiting for his name to be called. The Browns, who had been among the teams doing significant homework on Sanders throughout the pre-draft process, ultimately decided they had seen enough value to take a swing, selecting the former Buffaloes star in the fifth round.
The Browns selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round and now have a fully stocked quarterback room. The two rookies will join Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in the QB room in Cleveland.
After being selected by the Browns, Sanders took to social media with a reaction.
“Thank you GOD,” Sanders said, a message he has posted often.
Browns Got ‘Steep Discount’ on Shedeur Sanders
With three quarterbacks already on the roster, the Browns looked to be out of the mix for Sanders. But his freefall continued and it came to a point where Cleveland saw significant value.
The Browns moved up in the fifth round, acquiring the 144th pick by sending the Seahawks their 166th and 192nd overall picks.
“I can’t speak to why the market priced him the way it did. We had our own internal evaluation,” Berry said. “Once it got to a price we felt was a pretty steep discount, it just made sense.”
The Browns’ muted reaction in their draft war room fueled speculation that owner Jimmy Haslam may have pushed for the selection of Sanders. General manager Andrew Berry tried to dispel that notion when asked if Haslam had influenced the pick.
“Jimmy lets us work,” Berry said.
Browns Have Heated QB Competition Brewing
The Browns have a lot to sort out in the quarterback room before Week 1. Both Pickett and Flacco have said they were promised a chance to compete for a starting role.
“That’s the plan, man. I’m not going there to hang out,” Pickett said of starting, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I want to go play. I’m excited, been working hard for it, taking it a day at a time.”
Flacco expressed a similar sentiment.
“I mean, that’s all you can ask for in this league. I don’t really have any expectations besides to go out there, be myself and kind of put my head down, work hard, and of just do things the way I know how to,” Flacco said.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said there were discussions about adding an “unforeseen” quarterback to the room, and Shedeur Sanders fits that description.
“We’ll have a plan that’s fair to the quarterbacks and fair to the team as well,” he said.
