Shedeur Sanders has been synonymous with criticism over this NFL Draft process. Guess it doesn’t help when that’s your last name. But conceded, scrutiny of him being on 11 makes sense, owing to his rather liquid draft stock. Shedeur’s been grading between anywhere from a Top-3 overall pick to sliding right out of the lottery, depending on where you look. The reasoning is convoluted, but the crux of why can be summed up by vaguely paraphrasing a Charles Barkley analogy.
There are two kinds of athletes: bus drivers and bus riders. When you’re a franchise drafting a quarterback, you want them to fall in the former category. Be force multipliers. Somebody who accentuates the entire team. While Shedeur Sanders unequivocally has that ability from an intangibles and leadership POV, he maybe falls short in the skills department. Shedeur doesn’t have top-end athleticism and can’t really move the chains with his legs. Nor does he have a canon arm. However, put a good supporting cast around him and he’ll facilitate it brilliantly with his uber-efficient passing game. But that’s the catch-22. The higher up a franchise is drafting, the worse their team naturally is. This is baked into the equation when ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller explains which situation would be a bad one for Shedeur Sanders to get drafted into.
The Cleveland Browns have, at least historically, been in AFC North purgatory. They did see an uptick when they hit on a couple of drafts and built an airtight defense. However, teams can only go as far as their quarterback takes them. Well, the ones in the Browns’ QB room haven’t taken them much far. That trade for Deshaun Watson, more importantly, the guaranteed contract, has left them in dire straits. The Browns are hamstrung from a salary cap standpoint, owing to Deshaun not reciprocating the value of his deal whatsoever. The only way out for the Browns is to hit on a quarterback in the draft and have them on the rookie scale. Which is why they’ve been touted to draft Shedeur Sanders. But Matt Miller reinforced the rationale of just why this isn’t the ideal scenario for him.
Guesting over Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams” show, Matt Miller was asked which potential landing spots are “the right one” for Shedeur Sanders. Taking into consideration the pieces they have on their roster offensively, Miller didn’t hesitate in excluding the Browns. “With Cleveland, they’ve got some questions on the offensive line. They don’t have a great [WR2] right now. They don’t have a run game, really.. I would worry about Cleveland if I was Shedeur, because they don’t have those established weapons,” said Miller. It is true that the Browns receiving corps. are pretty substandard outside of Jerry Jeudy. But hold up a second. Doesn’t Miller’s reasoning, in a twisted way, actually suggest Shedeur would be great for the Browns?
Shedeur Sanders to the Steelers, Saints or Browns?@heykayadams | @nfldraftscout pic.twitter.com/3tuMTtNzBM
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 2, 2025
A bad offensive line? Check. One great receiver? Check. A non-existant run game? Check again. That’s exactly what Shedeur Sanders worked with at Colorado- to a decent degree of success. It’s almost as if his transition to the NFL couldn’t be more seamless! Sure, Shedeur may not want a sequel of all those issues. Maybe Jeudy isn’t quite Travis Hunter either. But from a Browns’ perspective, he fits the bill of someone who can work through their deficiencies. Perhaps this is why a different analyst, in their latest mock draft right off the press, has the Browns drafting Shedeur. But it’s not as straightforward as it seems. When is it ever with a Sanders involved?
Shedeur Sanders projected to the Browns, but only after an eyebrow-raising twist
The Cleveland Browns hold the #2 overall pick in the draft. Assuming they realize how vital it is for them to get a quarterback, it would mean they grab Shedeur Sanders as the 2nd name off the board. But according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, they could indulge in some acrobatics. In his latest projections, Zierlein has the Titans picking Cam Ward, the near-unanimous QB1 in this class, no.1 overall. He’s then got Cleveland picking EDGE Abdul Carter #2. Now, pairing Carter with Myles Garrett is an exciting proposition. But will they forego a QB in round 1? Not exactly.
The Browns can’t afford to go into the season without a new quarterback. Hence, Lance Zierlein has the Browns trading back into round 1 and then drafting Shedeur Sanders. So far, this isn’t straightforward, but it’s still Zierlein very much coloring within the lines. Not going too crazy. Except, he’s got the Browns picking Shedeur 24th overall after they trade up! That’s perhaps the lowest anybody’s got Shedeur mocked in the entirety of the draft process. We’d seen a couple #21 overall picks to the Steelers, but them passing on him for their divisional rivals is a new wrinkle altogether. It’s intriguing how certain draftniks have the Browns picking Shedeur #2 and it’s considered very much possible. Whereas, Zierlein has indirectly laid this massive indictment of him. Mere days after multiple ESPN analysts undermined Shedeur as well- twice.
The discourse around Shedeur Sanders’ game has spawned so many takes, both shrewd and silly, that they’ve muddied the water to the point people are missing the main thing. The crux of drafting a player, especially a quarterback, out of college. The fact they’re all raw and malleable, and can continue adding to their repertoire. That said, development requires an environment conducive to it. As well as coaches that have a track record of moulding quarterbacks.
Do the Browns have either? It’s debatable. It’s on the board that going to the Browns would stunt Shedeur’s ceiling as a player. Hardly any QBs have had success there. His dad Deion Sanders had even subtly implied in the past that he wants the Browns to stay away. Alas, Shedeur’s dealt with many of the same issues at Colorado. It’ll be fascinating to see how the chips end up falling. Just 3 weeks before he’s on that podium in Green Bay alongside Roger Goodell.
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