Stephen A. Smith pours cold water on Shedeur Sanders potentially starting for Browns in Week 1 of 2025 NFL season

Shedeur Sanders had been in the spotlight even before the Cleveland Browns took him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. If Sanders earns the QB1 role for Week 1 of next season, he will need to edge out the likes of veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel.

While some ardent Sanders fans believe that the quarterback can still get the starting berth for Cleveland, Stephen A. Smith said that the former Colorado star won't be considered to lead the Browns offense at the start of the next campaign.

"I don't think the Week 1 starter for the NFL season for the Cleveland Browns, as it pertains to Sanders specifically, is going to be determined by just his play," Smith said on Tuesday (01:23), via 'First Take.'

Smith added that Cleveland won't make it easy for Sanders in his rookie season, even though he is eager to prove his worth to the franchise.

"I think that you had people looking to give him a reality check," Smith said (1:46). "And now I think what you're going to do is see people wanting to test his emotional and mental resolve as it pertains to that. As of yesterday afternoon, he was en route to Cleveland from what I was told in a pickup truck, ready to grab his lunch, grab his hard hat and get to work. That's what I was told in terms of yesterday about how he's looking at things right now. Anxious to go out there and show out."

The Browns are likely to be without Deshaun Watson at the start of next season, as he is recovering from an Achilles rupture that he reinjured. It will be interesting to see if Sanders can push himself up to a position where he can be relied upon by Cleveland.

College Football Insider Bruce Feldman explains Shedeur Sanders' NFL draft slide

NCAA Football: Former Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders - Source: Imagn

Shedeur Sanders was widely regarded as a top 10 pick before the draft. However, his stock plummeted during the event until the Browns drafted him on Day 3 at No. 144. Bruce Feldman tried to make sense of Sanders' draft slide in his column for the New York Times on Monday.

"So much of being an NFL backup quarterback is how comfortable the starter is with the other two QBs in the room," Feldman wrote. "Sanders has always been the starting QB and the star wherever he’s been, at Jackson State and then Colorado. I suspect his fit played a role in why so many teams opted not to pick him earlier."

Sanders played two years at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado in 2023.

In his two years with the Buffs, Sanders completed 651 of 907 passes for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His No. 2 jersey was retired by Colorado on April 19.