GREEN BAY, Wisc. — Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is headed to Cleveland after the Browns selected him with the sixth pick of Saturday's fifth round (144th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.
After an unexpected first-round slide, Sanders had to wait until the fifth round to hear his name. Five quarterbacks — Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel — were selected ahead of the Colorado QB. Cleveland selected Gabriel with a third-round pick.
Sanders's freefall drew the ire of fans, pundits and even the president of the United States. President Trump in a social media post said Sanders was "all set for Greatness" and suggested NFL owners passing on Sanders are "stupid."
ESPN analyst Field Yates, who was part of the live panel on the draft broadcast, told Denver7 in the days before that he would be "stunned" if Sanders fell past the 21st overall pick in the first round.
Sanders will have the unenviable task of trying to achieve stability at the quarterback position in Cleveland. The Browns have rolled out a staggering 40 starting signal-callers since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999, the most in the league over that span.
Four quarterbacks played for Cleveland last season: Jameis Winston, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe.
The Browns are still on the hook for the fully guaranteed 5-year, $230 million contract to which they signed Watson in 2022. He was suspended for 11 games the following year and has struggled to stay healthy since his return.
As is custom being the son of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, the junior Sanders had been among the most buzzed-about players this NFL Draft season. He was widely regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in this class – and was one of the college game’s most accurate passers – but has been polarizing. While some talent evaluators believe he was the top QB prospect on the board, others have raised questions about everything from arm strength to attitude.
What isn’t in question is his winning track record at the collegiate level – and his marketability.
Sanders, along with his father, led what was a middling Jackson State program to back-to-back SWAC Championships in 2021 and 2022 before jetting to Boulder. The Buffs, who were 1-11 the year before the Sanderses – and eventual Heisman winner Travis Hunter – arrived on campus and would go 4-8 in their first season and 9-4 with an AP Top 25 finish in their second.
National television broadcasts and high-profile celebrities flocked to Boulder in that time. Folsom Field was consistently sold out, and Buffs football generated nearly $150 million in economic impact for the region in 2024, experts told Denver7 at the end of last season.
The Associated Press on Friday reported that executives from at least three teams had first-round grades on Sanders and were surprised he slipped past Day 1 of the draft.
Denver7's Sydney Isenberg contributed to this report.
