After a slide that bordered on the unprecedented, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders finally came off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft after being selected with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
As a player, there is no reason that Sanders should have fallen that far. There was clearly something else at play here, perhaps teams not willing to deal with the extra media attention that comes with adding the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
In a strange twist of fate, it may have been a connection to Pops himself that helped Shedeur land with the Browns. A coach who will soon be one of the most influential people in Sanders' pro football journey is someone that has some past history with the Sanders family.
Cleveland's quarterbacks coach is former NFL offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, who played alongside Deion with the San Francisco 49ers and remains a good friend of his to this day. Musgrave likely put in a good word with the front office, which could have helped influence this pick.
Browns QB coach Bill Musgrave helped Shedeur Sanders land in Cleveland
Sanders landed on a bad offensive roster, but he does have Musgrave helping him along with much-ballyhooed new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and a very sharp offensive-minded head coach in Kevin Stefanski who could help accelerate his development.
Sanders' first order of business in the pros will be beating out three different quarterbacks before he sees the field in Cleveland. Dillon Gabriel was picked ahead of Sanders in the third round, Kenny Pickett was acquired via trade in the offseason, and Joe Flacco is fresh off a somewhat productive season
Sanders has the talent to become a starter in the NFL; that much is not in question. With a very sharp football brain that helps him avoid costly turnovers, some of the best accuracy in the pocket of the quarterbacks in this class, and a propensity for throwing downfield well, Sanders is the perfect quarterback to be mentored by someone with as much experience as Musgrave.
While this Browns coaching staff is in a very precarious spot in terms of their job security following last year's tire fire, Sanders getting coached by Stefanski, Rees, and Musgrave during his rookie season might be all he needs to prove that he can be someone who starts for a very long time in the pros.