The agonising wait is finally over.
With the 144th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. on Day 3.
https://x.com/NFLAnd his reaction said it all as he showed his sheer delight at being selected[/caption]
It brought an end to one of the most alarming slides in draft history given a vast number of pundits and analysts tipped the Colorado product to have gone in the first round.
The second, third and fourth rounds followed without Sanders’ name being called.
But it was the Browns, who had already drafted a QB in the third round in the form of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, that elected to take a chance on the 23-year-old.
Sanders’ immediate reaction was broadcast to the world on streaming platform Twitch.
After his name was called out, he placed a Browns hat on his head and danced around the room with a football in hand.
Although Sanders may have tumbled down the draft, Cleveland legend Joe Thomas was a big fan of the pick and outlined the two qualities he saw in Sanders that made him believe he can be a success in the NFL.
“I really like Shedeur,” Thomas said.
“I don’t think he’s the right pick at number two because of all the things I said about Travis Hunter.
“But I think as a quarterback, I think he’s got the most important trait and that’s decision-making and accuracy. You can turn that skill set into a great quarterback in the NFL.
“Now, are you going to be Patrick Mahomes without a huge arm and amazing athleticism? No.
“But look throughout NFL history at the best quarterbacks. What sets them apart is always their decision-making and their accuracy.
“Guys who are self-made, like the Tom Brady’s and the Drew Brees’, that’s what they did best.
“And if you can do that, you can have great success at quarterback and that’s what I see with Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders joins what is now a sizeable QB room in Cleveland in terms of numbers.
Prior to the draft, the Browns had Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson on their roster.
However, there are serious questions whether Watson will feature at all in the 2025 season after he tore his Achilles last October, only to rupture it again when he rolled his ankle following the initial operation.
