Shedeur Sanders’ NFL career began in a way no one expected when he was just a prospect coming out of Colorado. The player who had his No. 12 jersey retired by the school and was once projected as a top draft pick didn’t enter the league as a star, but rather as someone expected to fight for a spot.
That hasn’t stopped Cleveland Browns fans from raising their expectations for Sanders. Even though he currently sits as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, he’s the one generating the most excitement among the fanbase. A legendary former Browns player even predicted that Sanders could eventually reach the level of Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
Hanford Dixon Makes a Bold Prediction About Shedeur Sanders’ Future in the NFL
In the NFL, rookie quarterbacks are usually welcomed with a lot of hope, but it’s rare for a late-round pick to move so many fans and become a locker room favorite.
With Sanders, though, the situation is different, especially in a franchise like Cleveland, which has a troubled history with quarterbacks.
For Browns legend Hanford Dixon, the team may have found its quarterback of the future, even though Sanders hasn’t played a single professional snap yet. Dixon even compared him to two of the league’s most established stars, both of whom play for Cleveland’s direct rivals.
Shedeur Sanders will COMPETE on the same level as Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. #DawgPound
“I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that he is the guy that we have been looking for.”
–@HanfordDixon29 pic.twitter.com/0d3hCbxgz1
— The Hanford Dixon Show (@TopDawgShow) June 27, 2025
“I mean, this kid is going to be our starting quarterback, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that he is the guy that we have been looking for. We could be talking about him on the same level as Jackson, and then Burrow, and then those guys in the AFC North. And it seems to me already that he’s pretty well-received by the guys,” Henford said on his show.
But for Hanford to be right, Sanders first needs to earn his place on the team. The main reports out of Browns minicamp suggest he’s well behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel in the quarterback competition. While some insiders noted he had a solid showing in practice, other sources indicate the team is approaching his development with caution.
Sanders also recently got caught up in yet another off-field controversy that hurts his chances of succeeding, adding to the distractions already surrounding his highly publicized journey. He was pulled over for speeding on an interstate, disappointing fans and supporters who viewed the behavior as immature and irresponsible.
The Browns’ first preseason game is set for Aug. 8 against the Carolina Panthers. It will be the first real opportunity to see Sanders in action and judge for ourselves how he holds up in a four-man battle, not just to make the final roster, but to position himself well in the team’s rotation.