Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders warned of traded Browns QB’s fate

Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders isn’t entering the NFL with the hype that an all-time leading passer from the school he’s coming from typically has.

Far from it, in fact.

Sanders’ Cleveland Browns career couldn’t have gone worse in its first few months, from the moment he was finally taken off the board following a several-day, multi-round slide in the 2025 draft, to ending up fourth on the Browns’ depth chart at QB behind Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel, to his multiple speeding tickets.

That has NFL veteran and Ohio native Tyvis Powell sounding the alarm, warning that Sanders could end up like another fifth-round pick, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was dealt with a fifth-round pick to acquire Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

“DTR was a fifth-round pick. What did you expect from a fifth-round quarterback? Of course, he wasn't going to look great. It's not about being a fifth-rounder, it was about the preparation that player received to be ready to play,” Powell said on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.

DTR may end up having a more accomplished career than Sanders in Cleveland before it’s all said and done.

The “Grown QB” is behind Gabriel until further notice. And that’s just the rookie competition, which could see another arm added at the 2026 draft if current projections on the Browns are correct.

As for the veterans, Pickett is expected to earn the starting job, and Flacco is being billed as an emergency fill-in.

Sanders has time, but only in theory. The NFL reacts quickly to overnight sensations.

Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, and Tommy DeVito can vouch that the league quickly chews some up and spits them out.