Browns select Shedeur Sanders in fifth round after draft slide
The Cleveland Browns selected former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, one day after passing on him during the second night of selections.
Sanders, once projected as a potential first-round pick, experienced an unexpected slide to Day 3 of the draft.
Browns GM Andrew Berry addressed the team’s initial decision to pass on Sanders before ultimately selecting him.
“What he has done throughout his college career is impressive. He’s a really good quarterback and an impressive young man. Sometimes fit comes into play, and there are still four more rounds in the draft. It’s less about where you get picked and more about what you do after you get picked. He’s going to find himself in a really good spot,” Berry said.
The New York Giants had shown interest in Sanders, but according to ESPN’s Todd McShay, the pre-draft meetings didn’t go well.
“He ‘didn’t have a great interview’ with HC Brian Daboll. The ‘preparation wasn’t there’ for an install package, Daboll called him out, and Sanders didn’t like that,” McShay reported.
Reports indicate Sanders may have hurt his draft stock by underperforming in team interviews.
Despite being a fifth-round selection, Sanders enters a quarterback room where he could compete for significant playing time in Cleveland.
“Who the Browns’ franchise QB will be is unknown, but Sanders has the most passing skill and potential on their roster to earn that title. The majority of Day 3 picks don’t get the opportunity to take a prominent role in year one. Sanders is not a typical fifth-round pick and could become an immediate starter and impact player,” Damian Parson wrote.
The Browns’ quarterback situation remains fluid heading into training camp, with Sanders now firmly in the competition.
