Shedeur Sanders’ precipitous fall from top five prospect to fifth-round draft pick ended when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the No. 144 pick. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was on hand when the Browns told Sanders they were prepared to draft him, and he shared a simple directive for the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback.
“Prove all the people that passed on you wrong,” Stefanski said to Sanders after being handed the phone by general manager Andrew Berry.
Kevin Stefanski, Browns looking forward to working with Shedeur Sanders
Sanders was at the center of a storm for two days as he plummeted Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft. During his senior season, Sanders appeared to have cemented his status as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 draft class after he threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions en route to a 9-4 finish with Colorado. Ironically, his father Deion Sanders once tweeted that he would never trust the Browns with a franchise quarterback.
To be fair, though, Cleveland has plowed through starting quarterbacks at a prolific rate since being resurrected as an expansion franchise at the turn of the century. Since 1999, the Browns have started 40 different quarterbacks. Things have gone from bad to worse recently, as Cleveland has shuffled through eight different signal callers since trading Baker Mayfield before the 2022 season.
Heading into next season, Sanders will be part of a suddenly crowded quarterback room. The Browns designated franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson is not expected to play in 2025 after he re-ruptured his Achilles back in January. That has opened the door for one of the team's other passers to come in and snag the starting job for themself.
In addition to Sanders, Cleveland also selected Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 draft. Earlier this offseason, they traded Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a late-round pick for Eagles backup Kenny Pickett, and they also reunited with Joe Flacco in free agency. Sanders has his work cut out for him, but if he heeds Stefanski's advice, he could author quite a comeback story after his surprising fall in the draft.
