Shedeur Sanders continued his effort to build a relationship with the city of Cleveland, showing up to a kids’ youth tournament this past weekend. The Cleveland Browns’ fifth-round pick was thrust into a media circus on draft weekend. Many were left surprised after he slid out of day one and two.
What was supposed to be the greatest weekend of the young quarterback’s life turned into intense speculation, critiquing his every move in an attempt to find a reason for teams passing on him.
Kids Delighted by Shedeur Sanders’ Presence at Local Tournament
Following the draft, reports from Cleveland now suggest that Shedeur Sanders is standing out from the crowd, and Colin Cowherd feels the 23-year-old will be the starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, in his downtime, Sanders is putting himself out in the community, spending time with local kids. Right after he was drafted, the rookie QB appeared at John Marshall High School to speak to the students. He has said he loves going to local schools, and has done so throughout his career so far.
This past weekend, he popped up at a 7 on 7 flag tournament, going live on social media while at the event.
Shedeur sanders showed up at a 7 on 7 tournament in Cleveland to support the kids🔥.. their reaction was priceless #QB1 pic.twitter.com/xxJdEuqXci
— Dalvinthetruth (@dalvinthetruth) June 8, 2025
The Browns’ QB was surrounded by elated kids, asking for pictures, signatures, and even trying to recruit him to play for their teams.
Sanders has previously said that he feels he can have a major impact on the youth and will continue to involve himself with the kids whenever he can.
Ahead of the draft, many were advocating for Sanders publicly, including Rich Eisen and Joel Klatt on the NFL Network’s coverage of the draft. Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. lost his cool over the whole charade, eventually getting into a heated debate with his co-hosts about it as the picks continued to come off the board.
Now, six weeks later, things have cooled off a little as Sanders attempts to settle into life in Cleveland. His circumstances are extremely complicated, with the Browns spending three draft picks on three different quarterbacks during the offseason.
They had shipped a fifth-rounder out for Kenny Pickett via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, before drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the draft itself, followed by Sanders in round five. The three will now compete with Joe Flacco for the starting quarterback’s job, a battle many want Sanders to win.
Sanders Looking To Make a Mark With Browns Training Camp Less Than Two Months Away
Sanders will be hoping to see significant reps at training camp, as the Browns look to trim down their quarterback room to find a starter. Some believe Joe Flacco’s experience will lead to him being the starting QB in Week 1, while others have the opinion that it will be Flacco who is cut before the season begins.
His experience is valuable in the QB room right now, but with three other signal-callers on the roster who all came in via draft picks/trades, Flacco could be the odd man out.
Sanders will continue to compete with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel when the Browns report for training camp on July 28th, in what has become a crucial QB battle. Even if the rookie that comes out on top ends up being QB2 on the roster overall, it sets them up for playing time whenever the opportunity presents itself during the season.
The rookie who loses that battle could end up on the practice squad, traded to another franchise, or even cut.
