Once thought of as potentially the first-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders fell all the way to pick No. 144, being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round. The slide was a surprise, but it finally came to an end on day three of the draft with Sanders finding a new home in Cleveland.
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But now that he is in the big leagues, things to going much more smoothly for the Colorado product. He’s settling in just fine in Cleveland and reports from minicamp have been largely positive. As for him, he’s moved past the surprising slide, and his priorities look much different now.
“Establish myself, first in the locker room, in the building, have everybody understand me. Create great dialogue between everybody and just be a good teammate, honestly.” Sanders said via an exclusive interview with Cleveland Browns reporter Nathan Zegura.
It was never his relationship with his teammates that had brought teams to question Shedeur’s worth, or what had led to his slide in the draft. Rather, it was his “character” and abrasive attitude that had put off some team staff. So when asked by Zegura what he wants fans to understand, Shedeur wanted to emphasize that he doesn’t have any character or off-field issues.
“Understand I work hard, and I love the game of football,” Sanders said. “I ain’t disrespectful, I don’t have off-the-field problems.”
There were a few anonymous general managers who said he didn’t conduct himself the best way, with one saying he was the worst interview they’ve had in the pre-draft process. There’s also the report about him and the Giants not being too fond of one another. According to ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler and other reports, Sanders didn’t have a strong meeting with the Giants and didn’t think NY was in the cards for him.
They proved not to have the most interest in him as they traded back into the first round for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
While the Giants passed on him, the Browns eventually took a chance on him by selecting him. Once he was drafted, the nightmare was over, and Sanders’ dream came true. As soon as he was drafted, Sanders made his way out to Cleveland as soon as possible to meet his teammates and coaches.
Sanders told Zegura in the same interview:
“I was ready to get to work in my city,” said Sanders. “Before pro day, I been working at home thanks to Pops. He built everything we needed to be successful, so, I was ready to get acclimated to my new city, so I came out here and met everybody, got the resources I need to be great.”
While Sanders’ character was a question heading into the NFL, he’s shown to be a good teammate so far in Cleveland. He still has a lot to prove, however. Firstly, he needs to get himself the starter position and prove to the league that it was a big mistake letting him go. But more importantly, he needs to make Cleveland proud for taking a chance on him when no one else was ready to.
