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Undoubtedly, the most controversial news of the 2025 NFL Draft was the 144th selection of Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
Expectations were high for the former Colorado Buffaloes' pick but his promising performance, so his late selection left many fans and athletes surprised.
The son of Deion Sanders, Shedeur was expected to be chosen even earlier than his father was. "Coach Prime" was chosen in the first round with the fifth pick of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, but his son had to wait much longer. The Cleveland Browns even selected another QB before him: Dillon Gabriel, in the third round.
One of the people who was baffled by their choice was Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin. Speaking on 'The Rich Eisen Show', "The Playmaker" gave his take on Shedeur's draft situation:
I was both p*ssed and pleased. I know how hard he pursued that dream. And how hard he wanted to be drafted higher than his dad... So, to see them punish him like that and to see him go through what he went through, it was painful for me.
Despite this, the Dallas Cowboys legend, who led the franchise to 3 Super Bowls, was optimistic about how Sanders was able to bounce back from this tough blow: "All they did by doing this, even though it was painful to watch him drop, I was pleased with how he handled it. They gave him that same start again. Start from the bottom and climb his way up, and he'll make it work," Irvin said.
The fight for the starting job
With four options to fill the quarterback position, the Browns will have a tough decision to make and are not ruling out the option of releasing one of them.
Shedeur Sanders is ed by Dillon Gabriel, who was acquired by the Browns during the third round of the Draft, is one of their competitors. In addition, options include Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, who were already with the team, and Deshaun Watson - a 2024 starter - who is recovering from his Achilles injury.
And although Sanders has shown great results, the Browns, for the moment, do not have a clear starter. For this reason, each of the contenders will have to push themselves to the limit.