The slide lastly stops right here. The Browns have traded up with the Eagles to pick Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 general. In change for the choose that lands the Buffaloes passer, Philadelphia collects the Nos. 166 and 192 picks.
The Browns had acquired choose No. 166, a fifth-rounder, from the Texans, who in flip had acquired it from Buffalo within the Stefon Diggs commerce. The 192nd choose was despatched to Cleveland by the Bears in change for defensive sort out Chris Williams, and so they had acquired it initially from Miami in change for Chase Claypool.
Sanders has weathered one of many least-anticipated draft-day slides in NFL historical past. At one level projected to be in competitors with Cam Ward for the No. 1 general choose, Sanders slowly noticed his draft inventory start to fall all through the predraft course of. As scouts and analysts actually dove into the 23-year-old’s tape, it grew to become obvious that he wasn’t the highest quarterback within the class and that he maybe was not second-best. Because it seems, he’s the sixth passer to come back off the board within the 2025 NFL Draft, 144 picks into the occasion and 6 picks into the fifth spherical.
As to why the Browns selected to pick him after this historic slide, normal supervisor Andrew Berry defined his reasoning to reporters.
Now that he’s headed to Cleveland, Sanders’ slide is strictly a factor of the previous. No person will care the place he obtained drafted if he could make a severe affect for the Browns. His competitors begins with fellow rookie, and third-round choice out of Oregon, Dillon Gabriel. You don’t must look again too far to seek out the final workforce to pick two quarterbacks in the identical draft, because the Patriots did so final 12 months with Drake Maye and Joe Milton. The Browns are the primary workforce within the widespread draft period, although, to take two quarterbacks (Gabriel and Sanders) and two operating backs (Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson) within the first 5 rounds of a single draft.
The Browns now have 5 quarterbacks on their roster competing for, perhaps, three spots. Anticipated starter Deshaun Watson suffered a second tear of his Achilles tendon in January and may very well be unavailable for the whole 2025 NFL season. Cleveland acquired two former starters and up to date backups this offseason, signing veteran Joe Flacco and buying and selling for 2022 first-round choose Kenny Pickett, and now Gabriel and Sanders be part of the fold. Flacco clearly has expertise with the present employees after his 2023 marketing campaign with the workforce, after which he received Comeback Participant of the 12 months. Pickett has proven worth as he’s been traded round since being drafted by the Steelers three years in the past, however after failing to ascertain himself as a starter, he appears destined to work as an skilled backup.
There are a few methods the roster might play out in Cleveland. If Watson is wholesome sufficient to play, we’ll probably see Flacco and Pickett because the prime opponents for the beginning job, with the loser of the battle probably taking up QB2 duties. If Pickett wins the beginning gig, Flacco would absolutely outrank each Gabriel and Sanders as the first backup. If Flacco wins, although, I might see Gabriel and Sanders being given a possibility to supplant Pickett for the first position. Ought to one of many rookies achieve this, anticipate Pickett to be up for his third commerce throughout the course of his rookie contract.
If Pickett can safe the QB2 position, although, the battle between Gabriel and Sanders turns into essential for roster spots, and given his draft place, it seems the employees already has a slight desire towards Gabriel. With Watson presumably on an injured listing, the Browns might choose to maintain three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, permitting them to retain the loser of the QB3-battle on the apply squad. In the event that they determine to solely maintain two quarterbacks on the roster, although, Gabriel and Sanders might see themselves struggling to make the workforce as a rookie.
