NFL draft profile: Browns QB Shedeur Sanders has the upside for Cleveland after huge fall

After NFL draft rumors in the first round, Browns bring in Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.

The Cleveland Browns stopped the fall of QB Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Sanders, who at one point was seen as a potential pick at the top of the draft and the first quarterback off the board, fell far beyond even his biggest detractors. Some, like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., believed Sanders was the best QB in this year’s draft but the league showed him something else.

Even the Browns selected QB Dillon Gabriel instead of Sanders at the bottom of the third round, another in a long line of strange picks late in the third for this regime.

Sanders is one of the best-known quarterbacks in the last few draft classes, but many have struggled to properly evaluate him properly. Somewhere between “best quarterback in this draft” and being selected in the fifth round is probably accurate.

SB Nation’s Mark Schofield shared why Sanders fell in the draft, including some of his positives.

The upside is clearly there with Sanders:

The two photos below show where Sanders was successful in throwing certain routes (on the left) and how often he was asked to throw those routes (on the right):

As Kinnan notes, Sanders threw a lot of short passes and deeper passes, its the intermediate where he had much fewer throws.

As we prepare for another exciting quarterback offseason and training camp, a look at how Sanders profiles heading to the next level:

Name

Shedeur Sanders

Position

Quarterback

Height/Weight

6’1 1/2”, 212 pounds

College

Colorado

2024 Stats: 13 games: 74% completion (353 of 477), 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, 10 INTs -Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, Big 12 QB of the Year
Career: 24 games: 71.8% completion (FBS all-time career leader), 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns, 13 INTs

Relative Athletic Score

Average “Big Board” Position As of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database

12th Overall

The Draft Network’s Pre-Grade/Round Value

Prospect Projection: Day 1 — Pro Bowl Caliber

What an Expert is Saying

Although not close to the athlete his father was, Sanders is a controlled, polished passer who gets the ball out accurately in structure and when throwing on the move. He is a cool customer, and his high completion percentage reflects his steady heartbeat. However, he benefited from a high volume of screens and checkdowns (just 23.7 percent of his completions the past two seasons were on throws over 10 yards). The chief concern on his college tape is his inconsistent pocket feel, which was highlighted by poor protection — he will climb and maneuver on some plays, then drift or retreat on others, vastly lowering his success rate. Overall, Sanders doesn’t have the physical traits to get away with some of his decisions, but he is a poised, rhythmic passer when he stays true to his skill set, and he shows the necessary touch and confidence of an NFL starter. He fits best in a timing-based offense. – Dane Brugler, The Athletic

Fit with the Browns

Cleveland’s offense has been seen as a scheme fit for Sanders for some time. As noted by Brugler above, a timing and rhythm offense can put him in the best position to be successful and minimize some of his mistakes. Even as we all worked our way through why Sanders was falling, it is clear that teams (including the Browns, who selected Gabriel earlier) have concerns about his overall fit within the team, but the zone-scheme, west-coast offense is where Sanders could prove everyone wrong.

Browns Player Drafting Could Impact

Kenny Pickett?

The question mark is because we have so little understanding of what kind of prospect Sanders is and whether it was talent or something else that led him to fall. Joe Flacco could also be the answer to this question as his contract is mostly incentive-based. Perhaps the New Orleans Saints, who don’t have an answer on Derek Carr’s injury, want someone to compete with Tyler Shough and trade for Flacco to assist with that process.