Browns view Shedeur Sanders as valuable asset after picking QB with 144th pick in 2025 NFL draft

After one of the most eyebrow-raising slides in NFL draft history, the Cleveland Browns selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Cleveland entered the draft with a need at quarterback, seemingly filling that hole with the selection of Dillon Gabriel with their third-round selection.

The Browns made a value pick two rounds later, when the front office selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in the draft. Sanders was previously predicted to land anywhere from No. 3 to the New York Giants, to No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints, to No. 21 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, all of whom passed on the Colorado product.

Cleveland already gets excellent value out of drafting Sanders at No. 144. Many ranked the upcoming rookie as the second-best quarterback in the class behind Tennessee Titans' Cam Ward, and Sanders' film backs that ranking up. ESPN ranked Sanders as the No. 2 quarterback in the class, only trailing Ward.

On Saturday, NFL insider Adam Schefter touched on Sanders' value relative to his potential to play as a rookie.

"Once they (drafted Dillon Gabriel), I thought, 'Well they're not going to go back to the quarterback well.' But they did, and I think at that point in time, it's a great value. Why would you not roll the dice at that point in time. Cleveland did," Schefter told ESPN Cleveland on Monday afternoon.

The Browns almost certainly agree with Schefter's sentiment. After drafting Sanders, Cleveland's general manager, Andrew Berry, touched on his value.

"It wasn't necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but as we talk about it, we do believe in best player available, we do believe in position value, and we didn't necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round."

Shedeur Sanders enters the Browns' quarterback room with the potential to start as a rookie. He is coming in with better physical tools and superior accuracy to both Gabriel and Kenny Pickett.

With the expected starter, Deshaun Watson, set to miss the 2025 season after retearing his right Achilles tendon, Sanders could step in to make a push for the starting job despite his draft position at No. 144.

Shedeur Sanders arrives in Cleveland

On Tuesday, Shedeur Sanders arrived in Cleveland three days after the Browns' front office selected the former Colorado quarterback in the NFL draft. Fellow quarterback prospect Dillon Gabriel should touch down in Cleveland alongside Sanders soon.

Sanders posted a video to his Instagram story on Tuesday morning that showed the new Browns quarterback making his way through the team's facility.

Shedeur Sanders will compete against Gabriel in the coming weeks during Cleveland's rookie minicamp, with a chance to gain the upper hand. Entering minicamps, Sanders boasts the second-best (+225) odds to enter Week 1 of the regular season as the Browns' starting quarterback, trailing Pickett, according to DraftKings.