Shedeur Sanders drafted by Cleveland Browns in 5th round of 2025 NFL Draft, 144th overall pick. Now he’s confronted with a monumental challenge as he attempts to become a starting quarterback. Players recently drafted to those exact same positions have had dreadful luck in winning that starting job. Of the last 15 players to try, only one—Dak Prescott—has been able to do so. Sanders’ selection indicates he must significantly outperform his competition to secure either a starting position or a top backup role as he enters his first season in the NFL.
Compounding Sanders’ challenge is his experience at Colorado, where he found himself in an uphill battle. He played behind a terrible offensive line and didn’t have a good running game to speak of to take the heat off either. This setting forced him to adjust on the fly and hone his craft, which he now brings to the NFL.
Sanders has shown truly elite ball protection too with only a 2.1% interception rate. This accomplishment places him among the worst, 124th out of 124 qualifying FBS quarterbacks. His ability to minimize turnovers could play a crucial role in gaining the trust of coaching staff and teammates alike.
Despite these strengths, there is room for improvement here for Sanders. His average time to throw last season was 2.96 seconds — 110th in the FBS. This disappointing number begs the question of how he’s managing short time and pressure, and the effectiveness in his execution of plays as a result.
As far as longer throws are concerned, Sanders showed impressive accuracy and competing level. He connected on 54.0% of his attempts of 10 or more air yards, a clear indicator of his ability to push the ball downfield and test secondaries. While it’s easy to focus on the fact that he charted for 24.6% of passes on screen routes, this overreliance on shorter plays is evident in this statistic.
Sanders himself acknowledges the need for growth.”Decision-making. That’s the biggest and best thing you can do as a quarterback,” he stated. He’s honest enough to admit that, for a stretch there, he was making an effort to force the play rather than make the play within himself.”Sometimes I was trying to make too much happen,” he admitted. This level of self-awareness will be absolutely crucial as he goes from college football to the pro game.
The rookie quarterback said all his experiences with six different offensive coordinators over four college seasons have been invaluable. This experience has allowed him to adjust quickly to all the complex, occasionally wacky NFL strategies and plans. Brown general manager Andrew Berry was clearly confident that Sanders could develop into an NFL player. He called him a very good, big-time pocket passer with great zip.
Sanders has an uphill path to get to starter level. He’d be the first fifth-round quarterback to win ten or more games as a starter over the last 40 years, if he does. He was then chosen in 1993 NFL Draft 118th overall. This historical context adds some perspective to the uphill battle Sanders has in front of him as he attempts to break through as a rookie starter.
The Browns’ QB room is still very much up in the air with challengers still jockeying for imperative roles. Sanders will be in attendance with fellow draft picks and undrafted rookies at rookie minicamp. They are all talented, hungry to prove themselves in the pro ranks.
In such a difficult environment, the value of smart decision-making and efficiency is hard to underestimate. “Being behind the sticks in the NFL is detrimental to your chances of scoring,” noted a current NFL quarterbacks coach, emphasizing the need for quarterbacks to avoid negative plays that can derail drives.
Sanders understands that he needs to get at ease operating out of a “dirty pocket.” The speed and athleticism of professional defenses necessitates at. “You can be behind the sticks and end up scoring still, but that’s not the case in the league because everyone’s just really good,” warned the quarterbacks coach.
Though the odds are historically against him, Shedeur Sanders is not intimidated in the slightest by his potential draft fate. He has embraced the expectations that come with being an NFL quarterback, stating that “it’s always going to be expectations regardless of what pick I am.”
Sanders is thrilled to have the Cleveland Browns as partners on this journey. His goal is simply to be a starting quarterback and to turn the non guaranteed fate of today’s fifth-round draft picks upside down.
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