Analyst Claims Media, Cleveland Browns & the NFL Aren’t Treating Shedeur Sanders Like a Fifth Round Draft Pick

The unprecedented slide that Shedeur Sanders experienced throughout the first three days of the 2025 NFL Draft continues to be a prevalent talking point amongst fans and analysts alike. For all of the embarrassment that the fall may have brought upon him, the spotlight surrounding Sanders has only grown since April 24th.

Sanders has displayed nothing but poise and gratefulness throughout the process, a reaction that’s prompted even more media attention. On the most recent episode of the Sports Talk with BWatts podcast, the host noted that the media frenzy surrounding the former Buffalo is as strong now as it ever has been.

“The media sure ain’t coming at him like he’s a fifth-round draft pick. Cleveland ain’t treating him like he’s a fifth-round draft pick. The NFL, right now, is not treating him like a fifth-round draft pick. …Shedeur Sanders has changed the game. …Press, ESPN, Instagram, Twitter, every media outlet is talking about Shedeur Sanders.”

With clips of Sanders completing passes throughout the Browns’ rookie minicamp currently circulating online, in addition to the fact that Cleveland’s QB room is perhaps the murkiest of any in the NFL, Watts’ co-host, Coach Dre, is calling for the Browns to go ahead and declare the Colorado product as their QB2 heading into the summer. Given the amount of hype surrounding Sanders, the team will have to face the music sooner or later.

In the mind of Coach Dre, there’s no reason as to why Cleveland shouldn’t go ahead and rip that band-aid off now.

“He showed the people why, going into training camp, he needs to be the number two guy… We don’t even need to talk about him [Deshaun Watson] or Gabriel. Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders… There’s nothing else to talk about.”

Despite the fact that Sanders’ reputation preceded him coming into the Browns’ rookie minicamp, the 23-year-old has seemingly started off his professional career on a high note. An impressive outing on day one managed to be enough to catch the eye of the team’s QB coach, Tommy Rees, a promising sign for Sanders’ future.

Shedeur Sanders wows in rookie minicamp

Should he continue to perform well in camp, the combination of accuracy and fanfare should be enough to see Sanders named as the team’s official backup heading into the 2025 regular season. From there, he’s just an injury or a string of poor performances away from earning those starting honors.

From the looks of it, that backup job may not be as unreachable for Sanders as many had initially suspected it to be.

Simply put, it may not be Sanders’ time just yet, but it seems inevitable that his time will come all the same. He already has the support of both the fanbase and his teammates; all he needs now is the nod from the coaching staff, something that, at this rate, he’ll likely earn sooner rather than later.