KFC Responds to Shedeur Sanders, Says 'The Colonel Was Rejected' Before Landing Recipe

Shedeur Sanders clearly has to overcome a lot of skepticism in the NFL after slipping to the fifth round of the 2025 draft, but the Cleveland Browns rookie can at least count on the support of a beloved fast food franchise.

Kentucky Fried Chicken cited its origin story and said "Sometimes all a Sanders needs is a little time to cook."

Harland Sanders first founded KFC in 1930, but it didn't become a full-fledged franchise until 1952. Whether Sanders was actually rejected 1,009 times isn't verified, but he clearly overcame some hurdles before finding commercial success.

Granted, Shedeur Sanders won't have 20 years to prove his doubters wrong in the NFL. And there are certainly plenty of them.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner was once considered a candidate to be a top-five pick before suffering the most precipitous draft fall in recent memory.

As a fifth-rounder, Sanders is probably fighting for the backup job at best in a quarterback room that includes Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Some quarterbacks who got selected on Day 3 of the draft have found success in the league. Tom Brady is the gold standard, having gone from a sixth-rounder to arguably the greatest at the position. Brock Purdy was "Mr. Irrelevant" as the last pick in the 2022 draft, while Dak Prescott was a fourth-rounder in 2016.

While the Browns have plenty of quarterback depth, none of their options stand out as the obvious starter. Maybe he won't be an immediate hit, but Sanders at least has a chance to make the most of his opportunity in Cleveland.