Perennial Super Bowl contender almost took Sanders in draft

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Perennial Super Bowl contender almost took Shedeur Sanders in 2025 NFL Draft

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 1:48 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns took quarterback Shedeur Sanders with pick No. 144 of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he almost landed with another AFC North team.

AFC North team reportedly planned to grab Shedeur Sanders in NFL Draft

Before Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Browns, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Ravens intended to take Sanders with pick No. 141 in the fifth round. He and Cooper Rush would serve as backups to starting QB Lamar Jackson.

When Sanders found out Baltimore wanted to select him, the 23-year-old nixed the idea. Schefter said the QB wanted to go to a team where he could play sooner. Two-time MVP Jackson, of course, is one of the best QBs in the NFL. Baltimore took Alabama A&M offensive lineman Carson Vinson instead.

.@AdamSchefter reports the Ravens wanted to draft Shedeur Sanders, but he didn't want to go a place where "he'd be competing and backing up Lamar Jackson."

The Sunday NFL Countdown crew debates if that was a smart decision pic.twitter.com/SHNd6KzjR1
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 14, 2025

Sanders may already be regretting that decision. His path to playing time in Cleveland looks no clearer than it would've been in Baltimore. The former Colorado Buffaloes star is listed as QB3 on the depth chart behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and Joe Flacco.

The Browns aren't giving him reps, either. Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland has said they're having QB Bailey Zappe run the scout team offense instead of Sanders. He was also the emergency QB for Sunday's game, raising more questions about why they still have him on the roster.

Sanders would've ridden the bench in Baltimore, but at least he would be with a premier organization that knows how to develop players. Since the 2020 season, the Ravens have made the playoffs four times.

The Browns, meanwhile, are a dumpster fire. Since the franchise was rebooted in 1999, it has won one playoff game. More importantly, it has been a revolving door at QB. During this span, it has started 41 offensive signal-callers, including Flacco. Sanders wouldn't have had an opportunity to become the guy in Baltimore. But spurning the Ravens could still be a mistake.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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