There were 143 players taken ahead of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, and five were quarterbacks, and one of those was chosen by the team that ultimately called Sanders’ name many, many hours later than he had anticipated.
It’s likely no player in the draft’s 89 years ever received a poorer ROI for his selection party than Sanders, who had a custom venue constructed that featured his “Legendary” brand and personal logo splashed across the walls, carpets and decorative pillows.
It was a lot for a fifth-round pick, honestly.
Sanders agreed to accept a signing bonus of $447,380 from the Browns, or 1.4 percent of what No. 1 overall pick Cameron Ward received from the Titans. Not a lot of legendary guys in NFL history come from such a humble – yeah, maybe that’s the wrong word – beginning.
I didn’t say “no” legendary guys, though.
And so Friday night Sanders, as the Browns' designated starter at QB, will get his first chance to join that exclusive club: Tom Brady, Tyreek Hill, Richard Sherman, Mike Webster, Kevin Greene. Each was selected in the fifth round or later. Each built a Hall of Fame-level career. Maybe it would be just enough for Sanders to perform in the Browns’ exhibition opener against the Panthers at a level that would begin to assure himself a roster spot, to position himself eventually to contend for a backup job and perhaps raise the possibility of becoming a regular NFL starter.
For someone labeling himself “Legendary”, though, all that seems a bit modest.
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“My expectations for Shedeur are no different than the rest of the guys,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters at a Wednesday press conference. “When you get in these preseason games, you try to keep it simple so guys can play fast … all concepts that our players know and just kind of not think too much and just play ball.”
Sanders is getting this opportunity because the three QBs ahead of him on the Cleveland depth chart all have legitimate reasons not to play. No. 1 Joe Flacco is 40 years old, has 191 NFL starts and was facing the legendary Steelers defense in the AFC Championship game when Shedeur was a month short of his seventh birthday. Kenny Pickett is recovering from a hamstring injury and has worked this week on a very limited basis. Dillon Gabriel, whom Cleveland chose two rounds ahead of Sanders, also has a problematic hamstring that is prompting caution from his coach.
It’s precisely the opportunity Sanders needed in order to demonstrate he’s the quarterback many draft analysts perceived him to be and not the one NFL personnel executives rejected over and over again.
“He’s excited,” Stefanski said. “He knew he was going to play a good bit in these preseason games, so the competitor in him is very excited.”
Given his standing among Cleveland’s QBs, Sanders’ opportunity to gain meaningful training camp reps has been limited. When on the field, he has produced moments demonstrating the strengths that had ESPN’s Mel Kiper rank him the No. 5 player on his board and then rant it was “disgusting” to see him drop. Sanders’ gift at Colorado was accuracy, an NCAA-leading .740 completion percentage in his final season with the Buffaloes, and he’s shown a knack for that when given an opportunity to find convenient targets. However, he produced the only incompletion in a 7-on-7 drill Monday, when his throw to wide-open rookie Cade McDonald was overshot by a good four yards. A better throw there becomes an an easy touchdown, and arm talent always was the first concern of NFL teams that pondered drafting Sanders.
At Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium, he’ll receive a clearer opportunity and brighter stage to demonstrate his capability of transitioning to the NFL. He will be playing with (and presumably against) players who also are battling to gain roster spots. Not every summer camp hero becomes a significant NFL contributor, but no player in his position is going to ascend without it.
Perhaps most important, there’s the reality of the Browns’ circumstance at his position. They got themselves into this predicament by drafting Gabriel in the third round and then Sanders, having already traded for Pickett and then signed Flacco. Either one of this quartet gets hurt enough to warrant spending the better part of the season on the injured list or one will be processed through waivers by the end of camp.
(OK, this being the Browns, they could waste a precious roster spot on a fourth QB. Given they spent two draft choices on quarterbacks who might never become full-season starters in the league, I can’t dismiss the possibility.)
Friday becomes the start of Sanders’ opportunity perhaps to separate himself from this fiasco. If he plays well, and in any subsequent appearances, he might attract trade offers from other NFL teams looking for depth at the position. The Browns likely will be searching through the QB-rich 2026 draft class for their eventual answer at the position, so they could use the capital.
It’s not just an exhibition for the player or the organization, then.
It’s an opportunity they’ll need to seize, together.