May 9, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham (94) walks off the field after rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns Rookies React To Shedeur Sanders' Media Attention

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Charlie Viehl | Last updated May 10, 2025 11:03 AM ET

The Cleveland Browns, along with the rest of the NFL, have started their rookie minicamp, which means that fans and media get to see the Browns' 2025 NFL Draft picks on the field together for the first time. As a result, former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders drew a majority of the attention on the first day of Cleveland's minicamp.

Even before he slid into the fifth round of the draft, Sanders has been one of the more polarizing prospects in recent memory. How do his newest teammates feel about sharing the field with Sanders? Defensive lineman Mason Graham was the Browns' first-round pick, and he was asked by the media how it feels to have a fifth-round pick steal the media's attention from him.

"That doesn't really matter to me. I come to play football. If the media's on me, then they're on me. If the media's not, then it's not. I'm just going to do my job at the end of the day," said Graham.

While fans and media alike are certainly distracted by Sanders' presence on the practice fields, wondering how the Browns' quarterback depth chart will play out, it appears as though Graham and the other rookies are taking everything in stride. Unlike those watching from the sidelines, Graham has actually gotten to know Sanders a little bit.

"(Sanders) was cool. I met him the other day for the first time and seems like a good dude and is all about ball, Graham said. "I want to play with guys that are like-minded."

In addition, Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson was also asked about his first impressions of meeting Sanders.

"I can tell, real humble. It was crazy 'cause he got drafted after me, and we were kind of like saying, 'Watch them end up taking Shedeur.' And it happened, so I mean I really just feel like it's a competition everywhere," Sampson said. "Dillon Gabriel's a good quarterback. It's good to have rookies together because we're working for the same thing, pushing each other at the same time. So it's competition, but we're not alone in it."

As Sampson mentions, the Browns drafted former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round before taking Sanders later in the draft. Both rookie quarterbacks are expected to compete for positioning on the depth chart as they push each other to improve and adjust to the NFL.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made his expectations clear when addressing his team's rookies in a moment captured by Cleveland's social media team.

"This is so simple. Do what you're supposed to do, when you're supposed to do it, every time. Your goal is to make the team. If you were drafted in the first round, you have not made the team yet. If you were undrafted, you have not made the team yet. It doesn't work that way," said Stefanski.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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