From Draft Day Shock to NFL Statement: Shedeur Sanders’ Next Chapter

The 2025 NFL Draft was perhaps one of the most memorable drafts in recent history. That was in large part due to the fact that Shedeur Sanders went from being a first-round pick to falling all the way to the fifth round to the Cleveland Browns.

It was something we had never seen before, and even Mel Kiper Jr. said the same thing in his forty-plus years of draft coverage. It was arguably the biggest draft fall in NFL history.

But with the NFL season looming, the time for talk is over as players are suiting up for the preseason. And of course, all eyes are on Sheduer Sanders.

On Friday night, Sanders made his NFL debut and even got to start the game due to injuries the Browns have at the quarterback position. He was very impressive, completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdown passes in the first half.

Sanders even played in the third quarter as well, leading his third touchdown drive of the game to put the Browns up 21-7 over the Panthers. He was by far the most impressive player in Friday night’s game between the two teams.

After the game, Shedeur was asked about his position on the depth chart during training camp. “When I get out there, it’s just doing what I gotta do,” Sanders said. “Everything else is not in my hands, so I don’t worry about it. I just don’t think that deep into everything because it’s nothing you’re gonna be able to control. So why put energy in something that you can’t control?”

I know everyone loves to talk negatively about Shedeur, but when it comes down to it, the guy can play. We have seen him play quarterback at an elite level in college. There’s a reason why he broke so many records at Colorado in just two seasons in Boulder. It’s because he has that it factor that everyone is looking for.

If he can block out the noise and the media circus in Cleveland, he will be just fine. At the end of the day, he is there to play football, and if there is one thing Sheduer Sanders can do, it’s play football at a high level. I just hope the Browns give him a fair chance to succeed because they have a bad reputation when it comes to the quarterback position, for as long as I can remember.