Shedeur Sanders drafted in fifth round by Cleveland Browns

Field Level Media|published: Sat 26th April, 14:57 2025

Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Former Colorado Buffaloes player Shedeur Sanders during his number retirement ceremony before the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Two days and four rounds later than he anticipated, the most talked-about prospect in the 2025 draft finally heard the NFL say his name.

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday with the sixth pick in the fifth round, making him the 144th selection overall. The Browns traded the 166th and 192nd overall picks to the Philadelphia Eagles to obtain the No. 144 pick.

Sanders became the sixth quarterback picked in the draft and the second by the Browns as they secured Oregon's Dillon Gabriel on Friday late in the third round.

The Browns also have three veteran quarterbacks on their roster: DeShaun Watson (who's injured and won't play in 2025), recently acquired Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco.

Sanders, voted by the Associated Press as the second-team All-American quarterback last season, had his number retired last Saturday at Colorado with expectations to learn his new team during Thursday's first round. Instead, he heads to rookie camp well down the totem pole and without his NFL Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders, as his coach for the first time in nearly a decade.

Deion Sanders served as his son's offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Park, Texas. Prior to Shedeur's freshman year of college, Deion was named as Jackson State's head coach. They spent the 2021-22 seasons there before moving to Colorado when Deion was hired to be the Buffaloes' coach in 2023.

During his four-year career that comprised 50 games, Shedeur Sanders completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns and just 27 interceptions.

--Field Level Media