Much has been made about the Cleveland Browns’ decision to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, including whose decision it really was.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said, in response to a question about whether team owner Jimmy Haslam instructed him to draft Sanders, that “Jimmy lets us do our jobs.” Still, the rumblings that Haslam may have pulled rank and made the decision for Berry remain.
One reporter, James Palmer of Underdog and Bleacher Report, said he has heard that Haslam did just that.
“The one glaring part of this that I need to make clear, is there’s enough people around the league that have told me this is an owner pick,” Palmer said on ‘NFL Insider Notebook’. “I don’t think you have to be a genius, looking at Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry when the pick came in. Oftentimes owners step in, and oftentimes– it wasn’t the only instance in this draft where an owner stepped in. That is the buzz around the league. Has it been confirmed by the Browns? No, obviously. But there is some talk that it was there, and this was somewhat of an owner pick.”
Some fans and media members have tried to determine whose call it was to draft Sanders based on the video of the Browns’ draft room following the announcement of the selection. Very few people in the room, including Berry, Haslam, and head coach Kevin Stefanski, appeared enthused as they clapped on camera.
When asked about their seemingly tempered reactions, Berry laughed and said they were tired. Stefanski also told the media “not to read” too much into the reactions. That, obviously, has not stopped anyone from doing so, however.
As for the decision to draft Sanders, Berry said that he had not planned to take two quarterbacks entering the draft, but going into Day 3, with Sanders still on the board, he said they were prepared to pick the polarizing Colorado QB if he slipped too far. Apparently, 144th overall was far enough, as the Browns traded their remaining two draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for No. 144, with which they took Sanders.
The decision to do so has been met with criticism, particularly because the Browns selected another quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, in the third round. Additionally, Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco shortly before the draft and acquired former first-round pick Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns also have Deshaun Watson on their roster, although he is expected to miss most (if not all) of the 2025 season with an Achilles tendon injury.