Cleveland Browns selects Shedeur Sanders as NFL draft's 144th pick, says “The rest is on me"

The 2025 NFL Draft took an unexpected twist when Shedeur Sanders, once projected to be a first-round pick, watched his name slide all the way to the fifth round. Despite the prolonged wait, the former Colorado standout never allowed disappointment to take the wheel. His reaction? Pure joy — a celebratory dance and a cannonball into a swimming pool, proving he’s ready to tackle the next chapter with unshakable spirit.

“That’s what it’s about,” Shedeur Sanders said following his selection. “You can’t be up too low or anything. You got to be able to celebrate. When we score a touchdown, we celebrate for a little bit and now it’s back to, it’s time to work, it’s time to go. All it is, is a football game to me, and that’s how I view it.”

The Cleveland Browns made an unexpected move by trading up to pick Sanders at No. 144 overall — a decision that came after they had already selected Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Though drafting two quarterbacks wasn’t the plan, Browns GM Andrew Berry stood by the strategy: “We do believe in best player available and positional value… we didn’t necessarily expect [Sanders] to be available in the fifth round.”
Sanders’ journey to this point was never ordinary. As the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and the face of college football at Colorado, Shedeur carried enormous expectations. Coached by his legendary father and armed with one of the best receivers in the nation, Travis Hunter, Sanders often found himself under a spotlight that went beyond just his on-field abilities. However, respected analysts, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., had ranked him above all other quarterbacks entering the draft. Kiper even called Sanders superior to Cam Ward, who went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Yet, what followed stunned the football world. Not only was Sanders passed over in the first round, but three other quarterbacks — Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Gabriel — were also chosen ahead of him in subsequent rounds. That slide prompted Kiper to declare he was “disgusted” by how things unfolded.
While some scouts reportedly raised concerns not related to Sanders’ on-field skills — suggesting that the media buzz surrounding him was too much baggage — others stood firm in their belief in his character. Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys brushed off criticism, stating, “I don’t know how many scouts have visited with me about the character of the Sanders group… but they should because it is absolutely up with the very best there’s ever been in sport.”
Now with the Browns, Sanders joins a quarterback room that includes Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett. With Deshaun Watson expected to miss the 2025 season due to a ruptured Achilles — and doubts looming over his future with the franchise — the door is open for Sanders to compete for the starting job.
“I’m just thankful for opportunity, so that’s all I can ask for,” Sanders shared. “The rest is on me.”
From disappointment to determination, Sanders' story is far from finished. And if history is any guide, the league might one day look back at this fifth-round steal the same way it remembers another late-round pick — a young Michigan quarterback named Tom Brady.
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