Shedeur Sanders is not a ‘blockbuster’ choose however Browns are 'excited to work with him'

The Cleveland Browns shocked many observers across the NFL after they did not take Shedeur Sanders in the course of the first two days of the draft.

After passing on him on six alternatives, the Browns ultimately ended the draft’s greatest drama by taking Sanders with the 144th general choose Saturday.

“I can’t communicate to the market pricing the way in which it did,” common supervisor Andrew Berry stated after Sanders’ choice. “As soon as it received to the purpose it was a fairly steep low cost — this made probably the most sense.

“It is a man that we expect can outproduce his draft slot,” Berry added. “I would not say it is any greater than that. … Our expectation is for him to come back in right here and work and compete. Nothing has been promised. Nothing shall be given.

“I could hesitate to categorize it as a ‘blockbuster’ as a result of that is not essentially how we considered the transaction, however we’re excited to work with him.”

Sanders, who Berry described as a “good, strong prospect at a very powerful place,” grew to become the second quarterback drafted by Cleveland this weekend and the 14th for the reason that Browns returned to the league in 1999.

Cleveland started the draft by buying and selling out of the second general spot, the place Jacksonville took Sanders’ teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. They ended their draft by buying and selling as much as seize Sanders, sending fifth- and sixth-round picks to Seattle.

Regardless that not many anticipated the Browns to take a second quarterback, Berry was complimentary about Sanders on Friday night time. “It’s much less about the place you get picked, and what you do after you get picked,” he stated.

Sanders joins a Browns quarterback room that’s in flux. Deshaun Watson’s days in Cleveland are numbered as he’ll doubtlessly miss all the 2025 season whereas recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in January. That occurred simply three months after he initially injured it in opposition to Cincinnati.

Cleveland this month signed Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter in 2023 and led the Browns to the playoffs for less than the third time since their return. Additionally they acquired former Steelers first-round draft choose Kenny Pickett in a commerce with Philadelphia in the beginning of free company on March 12.

On Friday, they chose Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel within the third spherical.

[MORE: Why Browns passed on Shedeur Sanders on Day 2 and took … Dillon Gabriel?]

None of them create the identical buzz — optimistic or unfavorable — as Sanders.

Regardless that Flacco has the expertise, and is a cult hero amongst Browns followers for coming off the sofa and main the group to a postseason berth, Berry has stated his signing wouldn’t play an element of their draft choices.

“We firmly imagine that it’s not about choosing a participant who’s able to contribute now, it’s about looking for the participant that you just assume goes to be the most effective you probably have entry to that participant,” he stated. “Quarterbacks mature and develop at their very own tempo and our thought isn’t when it comes to immediacy however making the subsequent long-term wager.”

Flacco stated earlier this week he wasn’t going to be watching the draft and that he hasn’t seen himself solely as a mentor within the quarterback room.

“I’ve performed quite a lot of soccer, and I’ve quite a lot of totally different experiences, and there’s a sure approach that I see it, and there’s a sure approach I can discuss footwork and reads and people issues, and I feel they naturally come up,” he stated. “I feel while you’re simply have a aggressive, good quarterback room, you don’t actually have to fret about being a mentor. You simply sort of do you. You compete and you’ve got enjoyable and conversations come up and all people learns from it.”

Sanders — the son of Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Deion Sanders — additionally isn’t missing in confidence, saying throughout his professional day at Colorado “wherever I am going it’s undoubtedly going to be an enchancment than what it was earlier than I received there.”

[MORE: Browns QB Shedeur Sanders now has the chance to shut everyone up]

In what is taken into account to be a weak quarterback class, Sanders was projected by many because the place’s second-best prospect after Miami (Fla.)’s Cam Ward, who went to Tennessee with the highest choose.

Nevertheless, over the previous month, opinions on Sanders have been everywhere in the map, making him the draft’s most polarizing prospect. The most important considerations have been about Sanders’ arm power and that he didn’t do effectively in interviews with some groups in the course of the pre-draft course of.

Sanders set Colorado single-season data final 12 months because the Buffaloes made a bowl recreation for less than the third time since 2008. He handed for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and accounted for 41 whole touchdowns en path to being named the Massive 12’s Offensive Participant of the Yr and a second-team choice on the AP All-America group.

In 50 collegiate video games at Jackson State and Colorado, Shedeur Sanders threw for 14,347 yards, with 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He accomplished 70.1% of his passes and ran for 17 extra scores.

In addition to arm power, Sanders’ decision-making on the sector has additionally been scrutinized. He took 94 sacks during the last two seasons at Colorado, probably the most by a quarterback within the Soccer Bowl Subdivision.

Coach Kevin Stefanski has stated there shall be an open competitors amongst all 4 quarterbacks throughout coaching camp. Regardless that Stefanski has had 11 quarterbacks begin no less than one recreation throughout his first 5 seasons in Cleveland, this would be the first time the beginning spot isn’t settled going into the summer time.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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