Few football fans expected Shedeur Sanders to drop as far as the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft. The fall was equally surprising to analysts like ESPN’s Mel Kiper, who had ranked Sanders as the top quarterback in his draft class.On April 25, Kiper called Sanders’s draft slide “disgusting” and questioned what the ex-Colorado quarterback lacked compared to earlier picks.Kiper even confidently claimed:"Shedeur Sanders will come back to haunt these organizations that are passing him up."Kiper’s bold prediction now seems to be coming true 105 days later, as Sanders made a phenomenal debut for the Cleveland Browns on Friday in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. Though listed as the fourth-string quarterback, he impressed by completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards, throwing two touchdowns and zero interceptions.After this standout performance at Bank of America Stadium, fans revisited Kiper’s unwavering confidence in Sanders."Mel Kiper just pissed himself with joy," a fan said."Mel Kiper Jr. is the real winner after Shedeur Sanders' debut," another fan said."Mel Kiper put up a generational performance during the draft this year," one said.Let's see some highlighted reactions to this discussion."ESPN you might as well book Mel Kiper for every show on ESPN Monday morning and every single employee who said he was tripping should get in line and apologize to him," a fan said."Mel Kiper somewhere right now watching Sheduer," another fan said."Not going to forget how Mel Kiper jr stood 10 toes down for Shedeur Sanders through the whole NFL Draft process and called BS for what the league was doing. No one could change his mind that he was the best QB in the draft," a fan said.Sanders’ strong outing helped the Browns secure a 30-10 win over the Panthers. Coach Prime's son played through three quarters before being replaced by Tyler Huntley.Shedeur Sanders acknowledges room for improvementIn Friday’s game, Shedeur Sanders struggled to score during his first three drives but began to find his groove in the second quarter. A muffed punt sparked his momentum, leading to a pass between two defenders to wide receiver Kaden Davis for a touchdown that evened the score at seven.After the Panthers took an early lead in the first quarter, Sanders' squad responded by putting up 30 straight points to secure the win.However, Sanders admitted he could have played better."Don't feel like I took full advantage of the opportunity, but something to learn from," Sanders said following the game (via CBS News). "Just being consistent, we were able to bounce back. I don't feel I was sharp at all, honestly. I think I was OK today."The Browns will face the Philadelphia Eagles in their next preseason game on Aug. 16.