“Why Would You Draft 2 QBs?”: NFL Fans React as Cleveland Browns Select Shedeur Sanders No. 144 Overall

Shedeur Sanders experienced one of the most unique NFL Draft experiences this year. Originally thought to be a possible No. 1 overall pick, he slid all the way to Day 3 of the draft. Even after the fourth round wrapped up on Saturday afternoon in Green Bay, Shedeur was still left waiting, possibly with fears of going undrafted.

Luckily, at pick No. 144, Sanders finally saw his slide come to an end. The team that ended up taking a chance on the Colorado star was the Cleveland Browns. They definitely needed a QB heading into the draft, so the selection makes sense—until, of course, you look at who they’d already taken on Day 2.

On Friday night, one of the most surprising picks came from the Browns, who took Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel with the No. 94 overall pick. It’s somewhat understandable that they took a few dart throws at the position, considering how weak they were there. You just don’t see teams drafting two QBs in the same draft very often.

In the end, the Browns also didn’t really open themselves up to a range of outcomes by drafting Sanders and Gabriel. They are very similar profile players. Both can move around but are not considered bona fide dual-threat guys.

They also both have very strong mental profiles at the position. However, they both have subpar arm strength and athletic measurables. Gabriel is also small for an NFL QB when it comes to height, weight, arm length, and hand size. Shedeur would seem to be the better prospect on the football field.

And all of those character concerns about Sanders certainly took a big hit when his ecstatic reaction to being drafted in the fifth round was posted online. A guy who was lambasted as entitled and arrogant was not sulking because he fell five rounds and was embarrassed on the national stage. He was still as excited as ever to learn that he had earned an NFL roster spot.

All that said, fans on Twitter were quick to pounce on what seemed like yet another instance of Cleveland’s indecisiveness. Drafting a QB to be your guy only to draft another QB two rounds later had fans surprised, but not too much: “Why would you draft 2 QBs? lol typical Browns move lol.“

Others felt bad for Shedeur, but playfully. “Waiting all that time just to head to Cleveland,” they remarked.

The lion’s share of the replies were largely from the anti-Sanders crowd. However, others were simply happy—or maybe relieved is a better word to use here—that Sanders’ slide eventually ended, with several saying, “Finally,” while another had a rare positive comment for Shedeur: “Good for him.”

The Browns seemingly had a great first three rounds of the draft, so we probably should’ve expected the other shoe to drop at some point. These are the Browns, after all. However, if one of Gabriel and Sanders turns into a franchise QB, these picks will look a lot more prescient than they do now.

No doubt Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco will now be fighting for a backup role behind the two rookies, who, one would think, will engage in a wide-open QB competition this summer.