Fox Sports analyst and former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt is adamant that, despite Dhedeur Sanders’ unexpected slide to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, his selection by the Cleveland Browns may be the best possible outcome for his career.
Is Cleveland the Best Fit for Shedeur Sanders? Former Colorado QB Has His Say
“I think he’s a fabulous player and now we get into this Cleveland situation where it might actually be the best possible fit for him,” Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “He got put into a place where it’s kinda chaos now. They drafted Dillon Gabriel, they got Joe Flacco in there, who’s what, 40 years old.”
“Deshaun’s got the Achilles’ tear, so I don’t really even factor him in this. You’ve got Kenny Pickett. You’re telling me that Shedeur Sanders can’t go in there and at least compete and win a spot and maybe even start at some point this season with that list of quarterbacks? I believe he can.”
“He’s got the benefit of going through this process and potentially being humbled a little bit and refocusing what’s actually important, which is the football and not all the off-the-field stuff,” Klatt reasoned.
“He’s either going to create a spot for himself or he won’t. If you’re out here asking me at the end of the day, that’s exactly the type of fit that is perfect.”
Can Shedeur Sanders win a spot and potentially even start this season? 🤔 @JoelKlatt breaks down why the Browns were a perfect fit for Shedeur ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CpSYayScEZ
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow)
Klatt has also highlighted Sanders’ possible compatibility with head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offensive system, which is a influenced by the schemes of Sean McVay, Matt LeFleur, and Kyle Shanahan. Quarterbacks who succeed in these systems tend to be accurate, quick decision-makers – traits that line up with Sanders’ skill set.
Klatt has been a vocal supporter of Sanders since the get-go.
In earlier shows, he’s said, “Bring that toughness. Bring that focus. Bring that accuracy. Bring that drive. … Bring that football IQ acumen that I saw at Colorado,” Klatt said. “And if you leave everything else outside, guess what? That will come later.”
“I know what Colorado was before you got there, and I know what they were because of you.”@joelklatt shares his message to Shedeur Sanders after the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/TcGoDrcyyQ
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow)
Sanders may or may not have landed in a great spot, but his slide in the draft cost him potentially $40 million in salary thanks to the NFL’s rookie payment structure. His draft position has already cost him dearly relative to his pre-draft evaluations and statistics at Colorado.
While Sanders doesn’t have a big arm, he is extremely accurate, with an oft-mentioned completion percentage of 71.4. If he does what Klatt thinks he can, Sanders could find himself on the receiving end of hefty second contract. Regardless of what his pre-draft status was in January, the reality is that he’s being treated by the NFL as a fringe prospect instead of a franchise quarterback.