NFL Draft 2025: Shedeur Sanders finally picked by Cleveland Browns in 5th round of NFL Draft

The Cleveland Browns finally put Shedeur Sanders out of his misery, trading up in the fifth round (No. 144) to snag the fallen Colorado star—ending one of the most baffling draft tumbles in recent memory.

Sanders, once touted as a top-tier QB prospect, shockingly watched 143 players, including six quarterbacks, hear their names called before his. The Browns, who already grabbed Dillon Gabriel in the third round, doubled down on passers in a head-scratching but bold move.

Experts had Sanders pegged as the draft’s No. 2 QB. Yet after Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart went in Round 1, he somehow survived Friday’s chaos as Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and even Gabriel (now his teammate) flew off the board.

Here's some of the quick reaction from around the world:

Shedeur Sanders put up video game numbers at Colorado—leading the FBS with a 74% completion rate, throwing 37 touchdowns (second-most nationally), and racking up 4,134 yards (fourth-best). A two-time transfer who followed his dad from Jackson State, Sanders shattered Colorado’s two-year passing TD record (64) despite running for his life behind a Swiss-cheese O-line—taking a brutal 94 sacks, 16 more than any other QB.

Even under pressure, he was lethal—posting a 74% completion rate, 14 TDs, and just 3 INTs when blitzed. The 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Johnny Unitas Award winner has arm talent to spare, though scouts knock his cement feet and habit of inviting sacks by holding the ball too long.

For Cleveland, selecting him in the fifth round is a lottery ticket with jackpot upside, especially after already drafting safer-but-limited Dillon Gabriel in the third. Overall, the Browns have added four total QBs this offseason with Sanders, Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett now on their roster.

The bombshell dropped just days before the draft—anonymous NFL sources torching Shedeur Sanders in brutal, no-holds-barred fashion. "Entitled." "Not very good." The leaks hit like a blindside sack, sparking outrage across the league and beyond.

Yet nothing stung worse than draft night itself. The flashy Colorado gunslinger, who made it clear that he wanted a franchise with ambition heading into the draft and likely envisioned walking into a starting job, watched in horror as 143 names were called before his. Now he lands in Cleveland's QB room as an afterthought, with the Browns having passed on him twice.

We shouldn't count Shedeur out just yet. This brutal draft snub could fuel the fire inside arguably NFL's most scrutinized fifth-rounder of all-time, whose production and pedigree is without a doubt top-notch. This is either going to be the steal of the decade or the most fascinating trainwreck. One thing's certain: all eyes will be on Cleveland's QB room this summer.