Could Browns keep Steelers from drafting Shedeur Sanders in first round?

It seems that the most interesting story of the 2025 NFL Draft will be where Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders ends up and when he gets selected. 

For a lengthy update shared on Wednesday, ESPN's Dan Graziano mentioned that the Pittsburgh Steelers, at overall pick No. 21, look "like the spot to watch for Sanders" if he is going to be a first-round selection. 

"He made a strong positive impression on their coaching staff during the predraft process, and not having the second-round pick might actually mean the Steelers could stretch for a QB on Day 1," Graziano added about Sanders. 

However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler thinks the Cleveland Browns could make Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter the draft's second pick and then trade back into the first round with Sanders in mind. 

"One back-pocket thought I keep going back to," Fowler explained. "The Browns like Sanders' processing ability at the line of scrimmage. They also have 10 picks in the draft, including two third-rounders and four sixth-rounders. So packaging picks to trade into the middle-to-late first round seems feasible."

The Browns could start either Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett if they feel Sanders needs time to develop as a backup QB3. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh may have to play longtime backup Mason Rudolph if Aaron Rodgers passes on signing with the club. 

At the time the ESPN piece was published, numerous reports indicated that the Browns, New York Giants (pick No. 3) and New Orleans Saints (No. 9) would let Sanders fall out of the top 10 after those clubs were previously linked with the polarizing prospect. In his latest mock draft posted on Wednesday, NFL Draft analyst and league insider Todd McShay of The Ringer predicted that the Browns could and will grab Sanders with the first pick of the draft's second round. 

"My information is, I don't think Cleveland is going to trade back up [later in the first round] for Shedeur," McShay said during a Tuesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," per Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report. "I don't know that Cleveland's even going to trade back into the first round. I think teams are looking at it and saying, 'Are all of these guys going to fall? Is (Ole Miss') Jaxson Dart going to be available at No. 33, 34? Is Shedeur going to be available at No. 33, 34?'"

Both Brooke Pryor and Peter Schrager of ESPN think the Steelers will take Sanders at pick No. 21, as does NFL Media's Bucky Brooks. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Steelers as the betting favorites at +180 odds to draft Sanders. The Browns were second on the list (+210) at that time. 

Also on Wednesday, Browns reporter Zac Jackson of The Athletic said that Cleveland "probably" will target either Dart or Alabama's Jalen Milroe if the club uses overall choice No. 33 on a quarterback. A recent report claimed that Milroe "is the quarterback the Browns covet most in the draft."