Browns Drafting Shedeur Sanders Reportedly '110%' GM's Decision, Not Jimmy Haslam

After the Cleveland Browns selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL draft, there was plenty of speculation that team owner Jimmy Haslam stepped in and made the call to pick him.

But the decision was reportedly entirely up to general manager Andrew Berry, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. The Browns didn't play to take Sanders heading into Day 3 of the draft, but saw it as "a no-brainer" when he was still available in the fifth round.

"The decision was 110% Berry’s and not a directive from Jimmy Haslam, despite the persistent narrative in NFL circles," Cabot wrote.

Cabot noted that Berry had scouted the Colorado quarterback "thoroughly for their No. 2 overall pick" leading up to the draft, and he believed Sanders "had no business still being available in the fifth round."

Sanders was widely projected as a first-round pick heading into the draft, but ended up falling all the way to the fifth round, where the Browns took him. His unexpected slide can be attributed to a handful of factors, most of them off the field, but there's no question Sanders is one of the most talented quarterbacks in this year's class.

In his final season with the Buffaloes, Sanders threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns. He was the second-ranked quarterback on the final big board from Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department, only behind top-pick Cam Ward.

It's unclear how Sanders' career will play out, but if he becomes a reliable starter, the Browns might have the biggest steal of the 2025 draft.