Browns trade up, pick QB Shedeur Sanders in 5th round

Shedeur Sanders' surprising slide into Day 3 of the NFL draft has ended.

The Cleveland Browns traded up with the Seattle Seahawks to select Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round Saturday. Cleveland gave Seattle its 166th and 192nd picks.

After being selected, Sanders posted to X: "Thank you GOD."

The Browns were linked to Sanders after spending extensive time with him throughout the draft process but ultimately passed on him multiple times. Cleveland traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars from its No. 2 slot to No. 5, getting a trade package that included the 36th pick (which the team used on running back Quinshon Judkins) and a 2026 first-round pick. Cleveland selected defensive tackle Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick.

The Browns passed on Sanders again at the end of the third round, selecting quarterback Dillon Gabriel with the 94th pick. When asked why the team opted not to go with Sanders, general manager Andrew Berry on Friday night noted that there were four rounds remaining and that he remained impressed with Sanders. A team source said that despite the pick of Gabriel, Sanders remained on the team's board.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier in the week that every player in the quarterback room will compete to be the starter. This offseason, the Browns acquired Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and signed Joe Flacco in free agency. Deshaun Watson is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025 season after retearing his right Achilles tendon.

Since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999, quarterback stability has escaped the Browns. Forty different quarterbacks have started for the team during that time frame, 10 more than the next-closest team. Sanders joins a reshaped quarterback room with an opportunity to compete for a starting role early on.

During the predraft process, the Browns met with Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl and again at the NFL scouting combine. Cleveland also hosted Sanders on a visit, and then a large contingent traveled to Boulder, Colorado, to have dinner with him and Hunter the night before their Pro Day workout.

The team's decision-makers often praised Sanders not only for his on-field credentials but his upbringing as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado football coach Deion Sanders.

A four-year starter in college -- Sanders spent his first two seasons at FCS Jackson State, playing for his father before transferring to Colorado to follow him -- Sanders led the FBS with a 74% completion rate last season, and his 37 passing touchdowns were second most in the FBS. A second-team All-American selection, Sanders was named the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top upperclassman quarterback.