Former GM Has High Praise for Browns Rookie Quarterback

The story of the Cleveland Browns’ chaotic quarterback room has quickly become one of the more polarizing developments of the offseason. With Deshaun Watson sidelined (and perhaps on his way out), the Browns traded for Kenny Pickett and signed veteran Joe Flacco to compete for the starting job. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns drafted both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, ending the latter’s shocking fall to Round 5.

That has left Cleveland with too many quarterbacks and even more uncertainty in its long-term plans. But one’s optimism about the situation can be tethered to the timing of their take.

If one views Sanders as an early-round talent who fell to Round 5, then general manager Andrew Berry found the steal of the draft. Viewed through the lens of being a Day 3 pick and the base rate for quarterbacks with that draft capital, his NFL prospects are concerning.

Former NFL general manager Scot McCloughan is in that first camp, and he compared the Browns' rookie to a Super Bowl champion in his praise.

“I gave him a first. I think he'll be the best quarterback out of this draft,” McCloughan said on “The PacMan Jones Show.” “When his career is said and done, he'll be the best quarterback taken in this draft.”

McCloughan isn’t alone in his support for Sanders. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper spent the entire weekend campaigning for his selection. Many analysts considered Sanders a first- or second-round prospect.

Now, his work is cut out for him. He won’t get the prioritization that comes from being a first-round pick, nor will he be the favorite to start in Week 1. But with promising intangibles, strong accuracy, and a knack for getting creative out of structure, he may quickly become Cleveland’s best option.

“We did the same thing in Seattle with Russell Wilson,” McCloughan said. “Everybody’s like, ‘He’s too short,’ this, that, and that. We went to back-to-back Super Bowls — won one, lost one — but whatever.”

Sanders has a long way to go before he sets the league ablaze like Wilson and experiences the kind of success Wilson had in Seattle. It goes without saying that the Browns and the 2012 Seahawks have two completely different levels of talent. But Cleveland’s current quarterback room shouldn’t preclude Sanders from starting at some point in 2025.

From there, it’s on Sanders to make good on his pre-draft hype and prove McCloughan right.