Shedeur Sanders slipping to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft was a shock to almost everyone. However, as Tom Brady advised him after the draft, the real work is just beginning. With a logjam in the quarterback room for the Cleveland Browns, Sanders has his work cut out for him.
With the exception of Deshaun Watson, who’s out with an injury for the entire 2025 season, all three of Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel are competing against Sanders. What will it take him to beat them for the starting job? ESPN’s Jerey Fowler believes the first step is beating Gabriel.
Fowler Outlines Sanders’ Chances of Becoming Browns’ QB1
Sanders endured arguably the most precipitous fall in NFL Draft history. He balled out in his final college season at Colorado, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024, but questions remained about Sanders’ arm strength and athleticism.
Then, concerns about his attitude and some poor pre-draft interviews didn’t help. Many pundits believed those could cause him to slide outside the top 10, but nobody expected a fifth-round fall.
The Browns, who were believed to have had a good meeting with Sanders, gave the QB a home, and he’s already made good on his vow to inspire local kids by showing up at multiple local Cleveland high schools. This was a heartwarming move by the Colorado product, but he’s now refocused on football after starting practice at Cleveland’s rookie minicamp on Friday, May 9.
Another QB starting the rookie minicamp with Sanders was Gabriel, who was selected 50 picks ahead of the Colorado star and is the first person he has to beat for the starting job, according to Fowler.
“Shedeur Sanders will have every opportunity to make his impression and to make this team,” Fowler said on ESPN’s NFL Live show. “The Browns also look at quarterbacks, like all positions, like currency, like value. They can trade one of these guys in August if they play well in the preseason.”
“The word around the league was that he had a tough time in some of his interviews with other teams; that was not the Browns’ experience,” Fowler said. “They felt good about him. They felt that he was a good person, that he’s accurate on the field. There are some things to like, but he has to beat out Dillon Gabriel.”
"The Browns also look at quarterbacks, like all positions, like currency, like value. They can trade one of these guys in August."@JFowlerESPN on the possibilities of the Browns' quarterback room 👀 pic.twitter.com/y3hnmUmP8Q
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 9, 2025
Reports have suggested Gabriel is expected to be ahead of Sanders on the offseason depth chart, but the quarterback competition is far from over. Sanders was considered QB2 in this year’s class, and while many teams and draft experts are split on how well he will play in the NFL, his slide into Day 3 was largely because of the negative reports of his Combine interviews.
Whether or not Sanders rises in the rotation is uncertain, but the talent is there. As the Browns prepare for a season of questions and competition at quarterback, one thing is certain—Sanders has to beat out Gabriel at least before he can attempt to win the starting job.
While a long road to see the field in 2025, Sanders’ head coach believes that he’s ready to put in the work.