Since free-falling to the No. 144 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has become one of the most-talked-about players in the National Football League. That continued last weekend at Browns rookie minicamp, where Sanders reportedly impressed those in attendance, and as seven-time Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio joked, every Browns social media post has been something about him since.
Shedeur Sanders’ Fever Taking Over in Cleveland?
Sanders’ dramatic slide from potential first-round status to Day 3 of the draft raised eyebrows across the league, but it has only added to growing chatter around his name. Dillon Gabriel of Oregon was drafted in the third round before him; therefore, Sanders wasn’t only the sixth quarterback chosen, but also not Cleveland’s first pick at the position.
However, he is appearing to make himself the first choice ahead of Gabriel, and unlike the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, the reports have been good about Sanders’ performance in the rookie minicamp.
Bitonio, a longtime Browns guard, also shared he was impressed by Sanders at the rookie minicamp. He also touched on the never-ending hype surrounding the Colorado Alum’s arrival in Cleveland, joking that every Browns social post had something about Sanders.
“It’s hard to tell in three days, but I think you can look at every Twitter (now X), every Instagram, everything the browns post is something about Shedeur Sanders or Nick Chubb,” he said on ESPN Cleveland.
“He seems like he’s ready to work,” – Joel Bitonio talks about his early interactions with Shedeur Sanders. pic.twitter.com/OLM6Ei00LQ
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland)
Bitonio is more right than wrong when he says Sanders is on every social media post of the Browns. The Instagram, X, and TikTok handles of the team have shared tons of content around Sanders, and it shouldn’t be a surprise, either, given that QB is already a celebrity.
This situation is a bit unfair to Gabriel, who should be the focal point of Cleveland’s rookie minicamp. The Browns invested the No. 94 overall selection on the former Oregon quarterback, but he had less than 24 hours to celebrate his status as Cleveland’s quarterback of the future.
Once Sanders was drafted, it created an immediate in-house competition between the rookies. He has been a star in the NCAA and was able to make programs better as he elevated the Jackson State Tigers before transferring to the Colorado Buffaloes and took them from a 1-9 season to a bowl game in his two seasons there.
He has shown to be a significant force under center as he won the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year by completing 353 of 477 (74.0%) of his passes for 4,134 yards with 37 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
