For a moment, it appeared the Cleveland Browns were putting together what was easily the best draft of the Kevin Stefanski-Andrew Berry era. They avoided reaching for a quarterback or taking a hybrid player that does not really solve their mosts crucial problems.
Instead, Cleveland focused on best overall talent, including solidifying their defensive interior, ushering in the next era of running backs, and even using a late-third round pick on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Everything was going perfect and then, pick 144 happened.
Cleveland traded up to select the still available Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. By itself, there is not necessarily anything wrong with trading up for a quarterback, but when they already used a third rounder on Gabriel, this action becomes a lot less justifiable.
Sanders selection continues to be mind-boggling
Entering this draft, the Browns quarterback room featured the likes of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the still-rostered but unlikely to take a snap in Cleveland again, Deshaun Watson. Using a singular mid to late round pick on a quarterback as a flier would be advised here, as Flacco is near retirement, Pickett has been underwhelming as a pro, and the less said about Watson, the better.
Selecting two in a down quarterback class is certainly a choice that no one would classify as a good one, no matter how much they may like one prospect in particular.
When the season begins, the likely composition of Cleveland's group of signal callers will include Flacco, Gabriel, and Sanders. No offense to Pickett, but if the Browns are going to be forced choose between him and their two rookie quarterbacks, it will not be the former Pittsburgh Steeler who prevails. This sets the Browns up to be in a position that no team wants to be in.
Without having an entrenched starter or clear franchise quarterback in that role, Flacco's performance will be under a microscope. Any misstep or decision short of perfection is going to elicit intense and non-stop calls for him to be benched in favor of Sanders from fans and media alike, despite there being a quarterback on the roster that the Browns preferred and selected two rounds earlier in Gabriel.
Read more: Dillon Gabriel's first start will say more about Kevin Stefanski than anything else
There is nothing necessarily wrong with wanting an ineffective starter pulled in favor of an alternative option, but when it also involves skipping over a higher-rated quarterback in their eyes for a fifth-rounder that no team seemed to want to draft, that is a problem.
The decision to draft Sanders is going to bring national media attention to Baker Mayfield-esque levels for a quarterback with a microscopic fraction of the talent. This is an incredibly odd choice for an organization that would probably prefer to have the focus not be on their quarterback situation following the Watson trade debacle.
A year of relative quiet and/or normalcy would have been a welcome change in Cleveland, but the Browns couldn't help themselves, as they welcomed the round the clock coverage they are about to receive with open arms.
Considering that Cleveland is more than likely going to be in the quarterback market yet again this time next year, why even entertain the prospect of drafting one that is going to be incredibly divisive, even if he was only a fifth round pick? Not just from an on the field standpoint, but one rooted in job security and overall organizational functionality.
Everyone remembers the amount of damage that Odell Beckham Sr. did when his son, Odell Beckham Jr., was having a rough time connecting with above-mentioned Baker Mayfield, and he is not nearly as high-profile of an individual as Shedeur's father, Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that Deion and Shedeur developed a close relationship with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, and this is something that everyone should be worried about.
For those interested in busting out their tin foil hats, one can only wonder what occurred prior to the selection of Shedeur, as the reaction from Cleveland's draft room did not look all that enthused about this decision. This certainly seems like it was Haslam's call, with his relationship with Shedeur and Deion playing a factor.
If they are indeed that close, this could influence roster and game plan decisions, and nobody wants that to happen. Haslam may have said that he is not going to involve himself in the team's football operations, but why should anyone believe him after he has said the same previously and yet continues to unnecessarily meddle.
The harsh reality that a lot of people are going to have an incredibly hard time accepting, Mel Kiper Jr. included, is that the potential positives of drafting Shedeur Sanders are heavily outnumbered by the negatives. Sanders is simply not a good quarterback prospect, and what comes along with him is not worth it, especially for a fragile organization like Cleveland's.
The non-stop scrutiny and maybe even chaos this brings will be entirely their fault, and the Browns will have no one to blame but themselves.