Browns sacrificed depth to gamble on Shedeur Sanders in fifth round: Insider

Shedeur Sanders saw himself fall from grace during the 2025 NFL draft. Instead of going in the first round, Coach Prime's son ended up with the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick. Furthermore, he was the second quarterback choice of the Brows, who had acquired Dillon Gabriel in the third round with the 94th overall pick.

On Saturday, insider Mary Kay shared her latest installment of 'Hey, Mary Kay!' on Cleveland.com. One fan asked her why the Browns focused on drafting quarterbacks and running backs. He also asked if it would have been better to spread out and focus on other positions, like wide receivers and offensive and defensive lines.

Kay responded by highlighting how the team decided to gamble on Shedeur Sanders while sacrificing depth picks. She views quarterback picks as investments and also heaped praise on the rookie RBs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson.

"The Browns were always going to draft a rookie quarterback, and adding Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round came only at the expense of a special teams player or rotational prospects," Kay said. "Besides, quarterbacks can be used as currency if they develop well enough.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

"As for the running backs, the Browns completely transformed their sluggish running game, and have a tandem in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson that the Browns fans will love."

Apart from Shedeur and Dillon Gabriel, the Browns have veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on the QB depth chart. However, NFL analyst Tony Grossi believes Pickett might get traded ahead of the 2025 season, which will open up opportunities for the rookie to secure a spot on the roster.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski shares his feelings about Shedeur Sanders

Coach Prime's son had a decent showcase during the team's rookie minicamp. During an interview with ESPN Cleveland on Friday, coach Kevin Stefanski shared his take on the rookie after observing his offseason training and performance.

Stefanski shared some positive words about Shedeur. He also heaped praise on his work ethic.

"Shedeur is a great kid. ... He's working like crazy. ... He's in there early, he's getting his work done. He's working really really hard. I like everything there is about Shedeur," Stefanski said.

Expand Tweet

Shedeur Sanders spent the past two seasons as the QB1 of the Colorado Buffaloes. Last season, he led the program to a 9-4 campaign and its first bowl appearance since 2020. The quarterback was honored with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for his contribution on the field.

About the author

Priyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master's in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths/weaknesses of players.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.

When he’s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.

Know More

Cleveland Browns Nation! Check out the latest Cleveland Browns Schedule and dive into the Browns Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Bhargav