The Cleveland Browns were one of the few teams heavily linked to Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Browns had the No. 2 overall pick, a spot that was perceived as too high for Sanders, though the team wound up trading back to No. 5 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Even at No. 5, Sanders was considered a reach, and Cleveland wound up taking Michigan’s Mason Graham instead.
The Browns had more opportunities to take Sanders on Day 2 as they were armed with four picks, but they went with Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and even fellow quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Sanders’ slide was the talk of the draft as he was widely expected to hear his name called at the end of the first round or early in the second round, but instead he fell to Day 3.
Fortunately, he was still available at the top of the fifth round, and Cleveland finally made their move to draft him via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“#Browns traded up and drafted Shedeur Sanders at No. 144. Wowza,” Cabot tweeted.
#Browns traded up and drafted Shedeur Sanders at No. 144. Wowza.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 26, 2025
The Browns had the most glaring void at quarterback, so at this point in the draft, it made complete sense to trade up for Sanders.
There were reports that Sanders’ interview process went poorly and teams came away with a lesser opinion of him, but that shouldn’t take away from his talent and ability on the field.
Cleveland is a good landing spot for Sanders, who will have plenty of motivation to prove the other 31 teams wrong.
NEXT: Browns Land Dynamic Running Back In Round 4
