It’s been two weeks since the 2025 NFL Draft concluded, and the football world is still wondering how and why Shedeur Sanders went from projected top-10 pick to the fifth round.
The biggest storyline of the 2025 NFL Draft, for better or worse, was Sanders’ stunning fall. Though everyone figured Miami QB Cam Ward would go first overall to the Tennessee Titans, Sanders felt like a sure-thing to be a day-one pick.
It was shocking enough when Sanders went undrafted in round one. But by the time the second and third rounds concluded, he was still on the board. After round four, he was still available. Finally, the wait ended when the Cleveland Browns took him at No. 144 overall in round five.
Several NFL writers and insiders have done the homework to understand Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide. Speaking to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, one NFL executive opined that Shedeur’s father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, played a role in his draft fall:
“I think his dad’s involvement hurt him,” the executive told Bell. “Some of the things his dad said, I think that weighed on people’s minds.”
Deion Sanders publicly stated which teams he wanted to draft his son, and he even claimed that Shedeur would be a top-10 pick. Like his father, Shedeur loves the attention and spotlight, so it’s possible that an inevitable media circus scared other teams away as well.
Shedeur Sanders Will Get His Chance In Cleveland
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Sanders may have been a fifth-round draft pick, but the 23-year-old should get every opportunity to become the starter in Cleveland. Aside from Sanders and Gabriel, the Browns’ QB room features 40-year-old journeyman Joe Flacco, offseason trade pickup Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson, who might not even play in 2025.
With no clear-cut starting-caliber QB on their roster, Sanders can easily win the starting job if he puts the time and effort in over these next few months.
