The Cleveland Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and now he’s competing to become the team’s starting quarterback. Sanders is going head-to-head in a four-way battle with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel and veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and though early, it seems he’s winning the competition.
Shedeur Sanders Turns Heads With Best Performance Among QBs At Browns OTAs
The NFL world was shocked when Sanders dropped to the fifth round. It raised many questions about how everyone could have gotten it so wrong.
While there were always analysts who questioned if Sanders was truly a first-round talent, the lack of quality signal callers had nearly every mock having him picked by at least the second round.
Browns practice is in the books. Here’s how all 4 QBs stacked up with their throwing reps in team drills 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/NsIZmjQSy3
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 28, 2025
“You’ve seen his work ethic. Everything that we heard about him is not true. Don’t let the jewelry and the music and the swagger fool you. He’s a hard worker,” two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy said. “The first thing that the head coach said: ‘Hey, he’s the first one in the building and the last to leave.’ Sounds like someone else I know — his name is [Tom] Brady! You know what I’m saying?”
“The thing I love most about Shedeur is that he seems way more focused, and he’s like, ‘I’m here and I ain’t here to be anybody’s backup.’ I think he’s going to be starting in the first five games. First five games, maybe six games, he’s going to be the starter.”