Shedeur Sanders enters the NFL as one of the most high-profile prospects in recent memory. The Colorado product was once in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick before falling all the way to the fifth round.
Now, he’s part of one of the wildest quarterback rooms we’ve seen in a while with the Cleveland Browns. One analyst recently broke down what Sanders’ first goal should be as an NFL rookie.
Shedeur Sanders Should Have ‘Realistic’ First Goal With the Browns
Sanders came into the draft as one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in this year’s class. He completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while becoming the all-time FBS career leader in completion percentage at 71.8%.
He showed up in the top 10 of several early mock drafts. But his stock took a hit after concerns surfaced about his arm strength, athleticism, and how he handled interviews at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
There were also questions about how his camp handled the pre-draft process. Still, the Browns ended his slide by selecting him 144th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Since landing in Cleveland, Sanders has reportedly been a model teammate. That even led one local radio host to reconsider his opinion of the quarterback. Sanders still has work to do to climb the depth chart, and one analyst says a good first step is beating out Dillon Gabriel.
FOX Sports analyst and “First Things First” host Nick Wright recently laid it out on his show, saying, “If there is going to be a chance for Shedeur [Sanders] to prove his believers right, prove his father right, prove himself right, right now, his singular battle is, move ahead of [Dillon] Gabriel on the depth chart.
“I think that’s very realistic, and if he can’t move past Dillon Gabriel throughout OTAs, training camp, the preseason games, which will be critical, then I think it’s evidence that he wasn’t under-drafted.”
Wright added that it would be a clear indictment of Sanders if Gabriel sees the field first in 2025.
Browns’ Crowded QB Room Presents Challenge for Sanders
Cleveland completely reshaped its quarterback room after a brutal 2024 season. The offense finished 32nd in PFSN’s Offense+ metric, with Deshaun Watson rating as the lowest-qualifying quarterback in PFSN’s QB+ metric in just seven games.
The Browns traded for Kenny Pickett, brought back Joe Flacco, and drafted Gabriel 50 picks ahead of Sanders. The veterans are expected to battle for the starting job, but it’s unclear if either rookie will get a real opportunity to see the field.
Flacco has already said he won’t serve as a mentor for the young guys, so both Sanders and Gabriel have their work cut out. Still, Wright’s suggestion for Sanders — winning the backup job over Gabriel — is a fair target considering the Colorado star’s college résumé and pre-draft projection.