Shedeur Sanders’ slide in the 2025 NFL Draft was so unprecedented that it resulted in the birth of countless conspiracy theories and tales of collusion from both fans and pundits alike. Initially heralded as one of the premier prospects of his class, the former Colorado Buffalo ultimately fell all the way to the 144th spot in the fifth round of the draft, something that, according to Ice Cube himself, couldn’t have happened without some form of ulterior motive.
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Like many, the lifelong Raiders fan was left disappointed when his beloved franchise decided to pass on Sanders even in the later stages of the draft. When asked for his opinions on the matter, the former rap and hip hop icon suggested that the rookie’s fall was more of a result of self-preservation on behalf of the coaches more so than anything else.
“I wish we would’ve gotten Prime’s son. But, look, here’s my theory on why he went in the fifth round: Anybody who drafted him, may have been drafting the player”that would get him fired. Prime Time wants to coach his son in the NFL, so if there was a bad season, that coach would be gone and Prime would be the coach. They were drafting in their best interest, to keep their jobs.”
Thankfully, it appears as if Sanders is making the most of his opportunity in Cleveland. Despite being routinely asked to work with third-string units, the 2024 Golden Arm winner has still managed to stand out in what is an otherwise crowded QB room.
According to ESPN’s senior national writer, Jeremy Fowler, “Sanders has made an impression, there’s no doubt.”
Here are the QB totals from the 5 Browns open media practices (OTAs and minicamp) this spring.
Who do you think should be the Browns QB1? pic.twitter.com/daBfqHvn58
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 12, 2025
Unfortunately, Sanders appears to have impressed everyone except those who matter, the decision makers within the Browns’ organization. During a guest host spot on the Nightcap podcast, former Cincinnati Bengal, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, revealed that his inside source had informed him of some rather disheartening news involving Sanders’ chances at being a starter.
Simply put, the graphics and stats coming out of Cleveland’s camp may be just as misleading as those pre-draft evaluations.
“I was told from somebody that is in the building that ain’t a player, it’s really coming down to Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel. That’s what I was told. But now when you get the reports that Shedeur’s completing seven out of nine passes, is it against starters or is it against the threes and the fours, the guys that are going to get released? So it seems impressive when you see the graphic, but is it really if it’s not against the starters or guys that are going to be on the team?”
The only thing for certain with Sanders is that nothing is certain. From being humiliated on draft day, to having his team’s ownership voice their support for another starter, the 23-year-old rookie hasn’t received any favors since leaving Colorado.
At this rate, if Sanders wants to overcome this seemingly never-ending series of obstacles, then he’ll have to make his own luck.
