What happened with Sanders and the Browns?
After months of mock drafts, workouts in shorts and drills that can make one scratch their dome (why do offensive lineman run the 40?) the 2025 NFL Draft has concluded, and boy, was it full of drama and intrigue.
The first storyline that dominated all three days of the draft was the fall of Colorado Quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders, once thought to be neck-and-neck with Cam Ward for the top overall pick, fell unlike any prospect in recent memory. When fans think of players falling, Aaron Rodgers comes to mind, but he still got drafted in Round 1. Sanders didn’t get drafted Night 1, then again on Night 2 his name wasn’t called.
Cleveland stopped the slide when they took him in the 5th round, which in itself is an interesting story, but more on that in a bit.
For now, the question is: What made Sanders fall as far as he did? Obviously, I have no way of knowing this, but from the insiders and leaks, it seems like his pre-draft interviews and interactions with NFL teams left a lot to be desired.
Purely based on his on-field accomplishments, the tumble doesn’t make sense. Aside from having Heisman winner Travis Hunter, Sanders’ offensive teammates left a lot to be desired. His running game was non existent, his offensive line resembled swiss cheese far too often, and despite all of that, Sanders produced at an elite level. Some question his arm strength (it’s plenty strong enough) and his lack of mobility (he works the pocket fine). I won’t get into what some talking heads say the reason for the fall is, but Sanders needs to put his head down now and show the Browns and the NFL he can be the type of leader needed to play quarterback in the league.
Now, as promised, some thoughts on what the Browns were doing. Many draft pundits had paired Cleveland and Sanders if not with Cleveland’s first round pick, either a trade up back into the first or, at worst, with their second rounder.
No dice.
They made some smart moves (fleecing the Jags and still landing Mason Graham) and took a quarterback in the third round (Dillon Gabriel from Oregon). It truly seems like Cleveland has adopted the mindset of “let’s throw a bunch of you know what at the wall and see what sticks.”
If you are out of the loop regarding the Browns quarterback room, here is a quick rundown: First, they are still dealing with DeShaun Watson fiasco and nobody seems to know what his availability for the season will be after another injury late in 2024.
During the start of the offseason, the Browns traded for former Pittsburgh first-round pick Kenny Pickett, which at the time seemed like their young signal caller move. Then, they brought back Joe Flacco, the quarterback that led them to the playoffs in 2023 after coming in late in the year and winning Comeback Player of the Year.
That seemed like a good mix for Cleveland, but then adding Gabriel and Sanders makes for a seriously crowded QB room. Who will be the odd man out? Even if we were to push Watson to the side, the Browns have four quarterbacks in a time where NFL teams generally will carry two on the active roster and stash another on the practice squad. To me, Pickett will be left with the short stick and find his fourth home in 2 years. If the Browns can actually figure out their quarterback situation and get just average play, they could be a playoff team. That’s a big ask though of a franchise who continually fumbles the most important position on the field.
