The Cleveland Browns had quite the eventful 2025 draft and doubled up at a couple of key offensive positions by drafting two running backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the second and fourth rounds respectively, while also making major headlines by drafting a pair of quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 and trading up to stop the well-documented fall of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
For a team with so many questions at quarterback, it doesn’t hurt to take a couple of fliers on high-profile big program quarterbacks in the third and fifth rounds, but one insider revealed the glaring concern he has with Sanders and the Browns.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently wrote an article looking at a handful of rookie quarterbacks and their chances of succeeding in their new situations, and he highlighted all the things in Sanders’ way to succeed as this team’s next starting quarterback.
“Sanders needs to show he can graduate from Colorado’s simplistic system to run an NFL offense. He also must prove football is more important than his brand,” Howe wrote. “If he can do those things, he still has to overcome adversity with the Browns, who are handcuffed by Watson’s contract and have holes on the roster. Even if things do go reasonably well for Sanders in 2025, the Browns have a first-rounder in 2026 as well as the Jaguars’ pick, so they’ll have a golden opportunity to tap into a more decorated quarterback class.”
There is no pressure for Sanders to be the starter in 2025 as there would have been if the Browns had drafted him second overall or atop the second round like many were hoping for, so it’s important for him to use this situation as a reset in his career and take the time to learn and grow within a deep and experienced QB room.
With two other veterans and two rookies on the roster, Deshaun Watson is all but done in Cleveland, which has to be a relief for all involved, and Sanders showing promise could help everyone move on from that disastrous situation.
Lowe is right in pointing out that Cleveland could still take a quarterback in next year’s draft if nobody emerges from this current group, but it will be interesting to see if Sanders can prove the doubters wrong and thrive within this offense.
There are certainly plenty of question marks surrounding him, but the talent is unquestionable, and we’ll see if Sanders can prove the doubters wrong.
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