Throughout the entire 2025 NFL Draft process, I could hardly be described as a Sheuder Sanders defender. I’ve been somewhat of a critic.
I’ve likely mentioned my sixth sense I developed because of the Cleveland Browns’ futility over the years, but if you haven’t heard of it on my podcast or otherwise, ‘The Gut Punch’ is rarely wrong.
It’s been incorrect for three games since the 2007 NFL Season. Among the two I remember, the 2016 Christmas miracle against San Diego and the 2023 game against San Francisco are the ones that stand out.
It’s been even more rare with draft prospects but my gut punch is almost always on the nose. The first time it went off was with Johnny Manziel in February of his draft year, Mitch Trubisky in late March/early April of 2017 (Myles Garrett was the pick, thank god!), and Sanders in early March of this year.
Here’s an excerpt I wrote in our Voltage Live 2025 NFL Mock Draft in the Tennessee section: “Shedeur Sanders is a second round pick who gives me Johnny Manziel vibes. Take this from the guy who was right about his hunch following the Browns selecting Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward in 2018.”
Today, I’m coming to Sanders’ defense. Yes, he slid out of the first round and my evaluation – in my perspective – was accurate. The fact he slid all the way to the 144th overall selection on Day 3 of the NFL Draft last month was exasperating.
I don’t have sources, nor will I pretend I know much at all about the leaks coming out following the draft. The one thing that seems clear is NFL teams decided to send a message to both Sanders, and to his Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders, for the way they handled the draft process.
Though, the fifth round?!
I am not bemoaning the Browns taking him despite having selected Dillon Gabriel the evening before. Taking what some evaluators had as the top talent or a Round 2 selection in the fifth round is tremendous value!
My imagination drifts to the thought of where the younger Sanders would have landed if not for the Browns stopping his slide. Would he have gone in the sixth round? He would definitely have been picked in the seventh round (I would think).
All the Kevin Costner and Draft Day movie jokes over Bo Callahan aside, would Sanders have seen this tumble if he was the bonafide No. 1 prospect, a la 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts selection of Andrew Luck? Or the 2020 Draft with Joe Burrow?
I’m only using those two as examples of guys who were the clear No. 1 selections for the quarterback position.
Sanders has talent – along with question marks – that certainly justified a small slide. The avalanche we all watched unfold on live television is far more dubious of an inquiry to answer.
The one thing that did not cause Sanders’ slide was Racism. I only bring this up given the reporting done by Andscape, an ESPN property. See Cam Ward this year, and recent examples from the 2023 Bryce Young and CJ Stroud Draft, followed by Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels last year, and even Kyler Murray in 2019.
There’s no great ending of grandiose advice or wording I can think of, so I’ll pass the question off to my readers. What do you think of the whole saga? Whether you were more critical (like me) or supportive (I.E. Josh Ungar) of Sheuder Sanders, all opinions are welcome.
No matter how or why Sanders was drafted by the Browns in the fifth round, he will have the opportunity to prove to the NFL decision makers they shouldn’t have passed on him by becoming the Browns first true franchise quarterback since Bernie Kosar.
And if Sanders doesn’t pan out in Cleveland (or the NFL in general), there will probably be a documentary on the former Colorado QB one day.
