Browns GM explains drafting of Shedeur Sanders after Dillon Gabriel pick

Numerous members of the NFL community have wondered why the Cleveland Browns traded up in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft to take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders after the Browns selected Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

During a recent chat with William C. Rhoden of Andscape, Browns general manager Andrew Berry explained how Sanders ended up with Cleveland. 

"We actually had them very similarly rated," Berry said about Sanders and Gabriel. "We just felt like quarterback is the most important position in sports. You can never have enough of them; you never know when you’re going to need one. And at the point when we took him, in our wildest dreams, we never thought that Shedeur would be available in the fifth round. At that point, it was just like, 'This guy, he’s just way too talented of a player to be just staring us in the face. Let’s take him, and we’ll figure it out later.'"

Sanders' alleged handling of the predraft process seemingly impacted his draft stock, as did the fact that teams reportedly viewed him as "a developmental prospect with limited upside." That said, some have strongly suggested that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam essentially forced Sanders on Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Haslam tried to pour cold water over such claims in late July, but Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand said earlier this week that Sanders' "suspicious arrival, via that out-of-left-field trade-up in the fifth round, reinforced the notion that owner Jimmy Haslam still sticks his nose too far in draft decisions." 

Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson attracted attention when he claimed last week that he heard from "a very good source" that the Browns only grabbed Sanders "because somebody made a call." Berry suggested no such conversation occurred. 

"We made a decision that we thought was best for the team," Berry told Rhoden. "We’re really happy to have Shedeur as part of the program. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no way that we thought that he would be available at that point."

Sanders is on track to enter Cleveland's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 as the Browns' QB3 behind starter Joe Flacco and Gabriel. It was unclear as of the final Wednesday of August when Stefanski and Berry may feel comfortable giving Sanders snaps against live defenses in regular-season contests.