Shedeur Sanders shocked several scouting observers when he fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The former Colorado quarterback, once considered a first-round prospect, dropped deep into Day 3. His first regular-season action suggested the Cleveland Browns may have selected him too high.
With rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel suffering a concussion in Sunday's Week 11 home game vs. The Ravens, Sanders played the entire second half to make his NFL debut. His poor play led to the Browns turning a 16-10 halftime lead into a 23-16 loss, blowing a chance at a big upset with Myles Garrett getting four sacks on Lamar Jackson.
Shedeur Sanders's stats vs. Ravens
Passing: 4-of-16, 37 yards, 2.6 yards per attempt, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 39.6 rating
Rushing: 3 attempts, 16 yards
Sanders was ineffective as a passer with some microscopic numbers until a 25-yard pass to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Late in the fourth quarter. He needed to run a little to do anything before then.
KYLE HAMILTON SACKS SHEDEUR SANDERS.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 16, 2025
Tune in on CBS. Pic.twitter.com/DoPoMljqZt
In addition to being sacked (and mocked) right away by blitzing Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, Sanders also was sacked on a different dropback and was called for intentional grounding once.
MORE: Kyle Hamilton trolls Shedeur Sanders with iconic hand gesture
Shedeur Sanders NFL debut grade
What Sanders did well
Sanders made one notable throw, the strike to Fannin on the two-minute drill to give the Browns a shot of tying the game late. He also threw a nice short pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, giving him an opportunity to run for a first down after the catch deep in Ravens territory.
Jerry Jeudy with the extra effort to pick up the first down!
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/soPzVstPyg
Sanders also ran to show his athleticism, matching his passing yards total with 16 on the ground.
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- How Aaron Rodgers hurt his left wrist during win vs. Bengals
- What Josh Jacobs injury means for Packers RB room
- Latest injury news on Bryce Young, Michael Penix. Jr, Jordan Love
What Sanders didn't do well
Sanders was mostly inaccurate on short, intermediate and deep balls. He was immediately overwhelmed under any kind of Ravens pressure and didn't read their coverage well at all. He was not prepared to come in the game, despite being Gabriel's true backup for more than a month after the team traded Joe Flacco.
The only reason to even care about a late draft pick stinking in relief vs. A good defense on a bad team is the fact Sheduer is the son of Deion Sanders. If the Browns need to start Sanders against the Raiders should Gabriel not be cleared, Las Vegas should look forward to a Week 12 win.
At least there's this: Sanders stinking against the Ravens and maybe doing more of the same against the Raiders will prove to both teams they made the absolute right decision about not drafting him as a No. 2 or a potential future franchise starter. Sanders avoids failing because he showed up and played and fought through the expected end.
Sanders debut grade: D-