The Cleveland Browns passed on QB Shedeur Sanders perhaps more than anybody until they didn’t, but he is grateful for the opportunity. Grateful for the opportunity to play, of course, but also the opportunity to prove himself. And grateful for the motivation to fuel him during the next chapter of his career. It’s something he talked about after Cleveland finally drafted him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Not specifically the Browns—not by name—but Shedeur Sanders won’t have trouble remembering the teams that passed on him. Because every team did, repeatedly, the ones with obvious quarterback needs sticking out. Even Shilo Sanders, his brother, said “It wasn’t cute after 21”, where the Steelers drafted in the first round.
“I feel like talent is everywhere throughout the draft”, Sanders said after the Browns took him in the fifth round. “It’s about just being picked and who sees your value. That’s pretty much it. Because it’s a lot of valuable players that go in the rounds after the first and second. So I’m a product of one of those”.
The Browns drafted six players, including a quarterback, before they finally took Sanders. Earlier this offseason, they also traded for Kenny Pickett and brought back Joe Flacco. Having drafted QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round, they now have a full quarterback room. Oh, and Deshaun Watson is still there and still thinks he can play, which, okay.
While most draft analysts saw Shedeur Sanders as a first-round pick, perhaps as early as second overall to the Browns, NFL teams obviously felt differently. Undoubtedly, that evaluation went beyond the field, but the fact that he lacked first-round talent emphasized non-performance factors.
“I understand you can’t really categorize, my talent”, Shedeur Sanders said. “I’ve just got to prove and show what I’m capable of. But what fuels me is my purpose in life and understanding the route that we’re gonna have to take. Understanding that I was able to get an opportunity when a lot of people didn’t want to give me an opportunity. So that’s what I’m truly thankful for. That’s what fuels me”.
Approximately every draft pick who goes later than he expected talks about drawing motivation from that. In that aspect, Shedeur Sanders is far from unique. The media circus over his fall and the perplexity that followed, though, perhaps is. Ordinarily, when a prominent player falls, we hear explanations, typically medical. When it comes to Sanders, it wasn’t a matter of poor intel, just a complete miscalculation of what teams actually thought.
And, well, Sanders can’t ignore the fact that the Browns thought the same thing as everyone else. You don’t draft six players ahead of someone, including one at his position, and anoint him right after that. Were it not for his notoriety, he would be entering the league not even guaranteed a roster spot. Given that he is Shedeur Sanders, though, it’s hard to imagine him not being on the Browns’ roster.
