Shedeur Sanders Drafted by Browns, NFL Fans Praise Pick as Steal After Historic Slide

Shedeur Sanders' slide in the 2025 NFL draft finally ended Saturday.

The Colorado quarterback was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick, No. 6 of the fifth round.

Fans and analysts discussed Sanders' outlook with the Browns, heralding the selection as a major steal:

Sanders immediately received some encouragement from his new teammate in Browns four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, who challenged Sanders to "be legendary" in a post on X:

Throughout the predraft process, Sanders was widely viewed as the second-best quarterback in the class by most experts behind only Miami's Cam Ward, who went first overall to the Tennessee Titans.

Despite that, several quarterbacks came off the board before him, including Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart in the first round, Louisville's Tyler Shough in the second round, and Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

Sanders falling to Day 2 was surprising enough, but dropping to Day 3 was almost unthinkable.

He didn't have a short wait on Saturday either, as he had to sit through the entire fourth round before finally coming off the board in the early fifth.

There was a time when the Browns were considered a candidate to take Sanders second overall, so landing him much later in the fifth round is a spectacular value regardless of potential concerns about his attitude or lack of mobility.

Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year last season and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting by virtue of completing 74.0 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The Browns' quarterback situation is a mess, as Deshaun Watson may miss the entire 2025 season due to a torn Achilles.

Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco are the top veteran quarterbacks on the roster, and Cleveland added both Gabriel and Sanders in the draft.

Despite being a fifth-round pick, Sanders could vie for and win the starting job as soon as his rookie season, which arguably makes Cleveland the ideal landing spot even after a harrowing tumble.