It’s been becoming increasingly obvious that the Cleveland Browns do not want to take a quarterback at No. 2 overall in the NFL draft, unless that quarterback’s name is Cam Ward. Seeing as that’s unlikely given that he’s almost a lock to land with the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall, the Browns don’t seem primed to get a signal caller that high in the draft.
Even Shedeur Sanders, who was mocked a few times prior to Colorado’s pro day to the Browns because he is considered the second-best quarterback in the draft, seems to be falling out of favor with not just Cleveland, but most quarterback-needy teams. That’s because he’s just seemed less athletic and decisive than most other prospects in the draft.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer provided a glimpse into that very logic that general managers and other experts across the league seem to be considering greatly in their evaluations of Sanders, and it’s why, as Breer notes, Sanders may fall pretty far in the draft on April 24.
Breer says Sanders may fall out of first round barring ownership meddling (oh no)
Breer, in his latest roundup of news and intel on the NFL, said that he’s finding it more and more unlikely that Sanders not only doesn’t land with either the Browns or the New York Giants, but with any quarterback-needy team in the top-10 range of the draft.
“…I don’t think Sanders is going in the top three. And at this point, it feels like it’d be surprising if the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets or Saints took him in the top 10. I’ve had more than one person say to me that if Sanders goes in the first round, it’ll be because an owner got involved. That, of course, is a bit of a guess from a few guys who are clued into how Sanders is viewed. But it’s also a bit of a window into the way evaluators are looking at the Colorado star,” penned Breer in his piece.
Now, stop me if you’ve heard this recently, but it’s not like the Browns aren’t keen on getting Jimmy Haslam involved in a move for a quarterback.
Sure, he regrets meddling in the teams’ acquisition of Deshaun Watson that has left them scarred since 2022, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll stop adding his very big two cents into head coach Kevin Stefanski’s and general manager Andrew Berry’s draft strategy meetings.
And, Haslam was seen speaking with Deion Sanders at Sanders’ pro day, where he looked great in a very controlled environment. Haslam is involved this year, and no amount of him expressing his regret for how his involvement completely botched the teams’ ability to build out a roster for years will keep him from doing so.
Interestingly, Breer said in his piece that Jaxson Dart has earned praise from scouts who feel he’s much better at handling pressure than Sanders, and his ability to do so makes him more NFL-ready than Sanders.
We may very well see Dart go before Sanders, but ultimately, it just sounds like the Browns are okay with seeing who falls to them at 33 in the draft instead of taking an unnecessarily big swing on a signal caller atop the order.