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Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide will go down as one of the most unforgettable storylines from the 2025 NFL Draft. Once projected as a top-three pick, the former Colorado quarterback didn’t hear his name called until the fifth round, 144th overall — a drop that might one day become legendary.
Of course, Sanders would prefer to be remembered for what he does next — and that starts this weekend at the Cleveland Browns’ three-day rookie minicamp.
According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, the odds are already stacked against him.
“Sanders is attempting a feat only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has accomplished in the past 15 years — parlaying a Day 3 draft slot into becoming a franchise's Week 1 starter as a rookie,” Oyefusi wrote. “He's also trying to do something only four men have done since 1967: doing it as a fifth-round or later selection. But although history isn't on Sanders' side, his unique situation in Cleveland — with a lack of clarity within the Browns' QB room — and his talent relative to his draft slot could set the stage for him to buck the trend.”
Prescott, selected 135th overall in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, benefitted from an unusual set of circumstances. A preseason back injury to starter Tony Romo and a broken leg suffered by backup Kellen Moore opened the door for Prescott to take over. He’s since become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league and remains entrenched as the Cowboys’ starter.
That’s the kind of opportunity Sanders is hoping for in Cleveland. But the odds — especially for long-term success — remain daunting.
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"The odds of fifth-rounders taking their team's first snap of the season are even longer,” Oyefusi noted. “According to Elias Sports Bureau, only four quarterbacks in the common draft era (dating back to 1967) selected in the fifth round or later have started in their team's season opener as rookies: Randy Hedberg (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1977), James 'Shack' Harris (Buffalo Bills, 1969), Dan Darragh (Buffalo Bills, 1968) and Dewey Warren (Cincinnati Bengals, 1968).
"Just as rare is the number of passers drafted after the third round who go on to become productive starters for multiple seasons. According to ESPN Research, nine such quarterbacks have made multiple Pro Bowls -- a list that includes seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, famously a sixth-round pick. The most recent was Prescott."
And Sanders isn’t just battling history — he’s competing against experience. The Browns currently have two veterans in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was selected before Sanders.
“We did tell him that it really doesn't matter where you're picked,” Browns GM Andrew Berry told Sanders. “It's what you do from that point forward, because that's the reality for all the guys that we selected this weekend.”
For Sanders, it’s likely going to be feast or famine. He could become the biggest steal of the draft — or find himself traded or cut before the regular season begins.
MORE SHEDEUR SANDERS
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Shedeur Sanders unlikely to be Browns’ future as Clemson QB projected as ‘long-term answer’
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