Shedeur Sanders Could Be the 1st 5th-Round+ QB Since 1977 to Start in a Team's Opener

Shedeur Sanders' slide to the fifth round dominated the headlines of the 2025 NFL draft, but it also gave the Cleveland Browns rookie the opportunity to make history.

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi cited Elias Sports Bureau on Thursday and reported Sanders could become the first quarterback since 1977 to be taken in the fifth round or later and start his team's Week 1 game in his first season in the league.

Randy Hedberg (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1977), James "Shack" Harris (Buffalo Bills, 1969), Dan Darragh (Buffalo Bills, 1968) and Dewey Warren (Cincinnati Bengals, 1968) are the only four signal-callers to do so in the common draft era starting in 1967.

Dak Prescott is the only quarterback in the last 15 years who was taken during Day 3 of the draft and started his team's Week 1 game as a rookie.

The 2016 fourth-rounder only did so because Tony Romo (back) and Kellen Moore (leg) were sidelined by injuries, but he took full advantage of the opportunity and established himself as the Dallas Cowboys' long-term starter as the Offensive Rookie of the Year for a team that won 13 games.

Now he is a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the faces of the franchise for the Cowboys.

Prescott's situation illustrates that all it takes is one chance to change the narrative of the draft-day slide. And being on the Browns might give Sanders that same chance.

After all, there is no star quarterback in his way on a depth chart that no longer features Deshaun Watson because of another Achilles injury. Instead, there is 40-year-old Joe Flacco, unproven Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel was a third-round pick, so it's not as if the Browns invested a first-rounder and will necessarily give him every opportunity to succeed even if he struggles in training camp and preseason. There are also questions about his size and arm strength that could come into play.

As for Pickett, he has 15 touchdown passes to 14 interruptions in 30 games and 25 starts during his career and is far from a sure-fire superstar who Sanders will have to beat out in competition. Elsewhere, Flacco was 2-4 as a starter for the Indianapolis Colts last season and is likely past his peak at this point.

The opportunity is right there for Sanders to make history.