Browns NFL draft: Should Shedeur Sanders be in their plans if he falls?

The Cleveland Browns have their QB room situated with the signing of veteran Joe Flacco. Every Browns fan should dust off their #15 jersey and get ready for the 2025 season.

With Flacco likely the starter and Kenny Pickett as his experienced backup, that leaves room for GM Andrew Berry to take his pick of a young signal caller to bring in from this year’s NFL draft, slated for April 24-26. Derek Carr’s injury could impact where quarterbacks go in this year’s draft, but the team should have options.

There have been numerous names attached to the Browns in the upcoming draft: Jalen Milroe of Alabama, Oregon’s Dillion Gabriel, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Notre Dame’s Leonard Riley and Will Howard from Ohio State, Tyler Shough of Louisville, and Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke.

With so many young guys available in the first round until Round 4, Berry will need to focus on which one he prefers, then use all those draft picks the Browns possess this year in order to move around the draft board in order to get his choice.

Whichever quarterback Berry chooses, that guy will be the future starting quarterback.

But what about Shedeur Sanders of Colorado?

More than any other quarterback in this year’s draft, Sanders has been linked to the Browns from the beginning of the avalanche of mock drafts. Of course, that was for the #2 overall pick.

But quite a bit has changed for Cleveland’s quarterback room. On March 12, Berry worked out a trade with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and brought in former first-round pick Kenny Pickett who has played in 30 NFL games with 25 starts. Then on April 10, veteran and fan fav Joe Flacco was re-signed.

This means the quarterback situation is set: Flacco is the likely starter with Pickett his capable backup. As usual, there should be four quarterbacks in training camp. One will most certainly be a 2025 draft pick while the other either a young veteran or an undrafted free agent.

Prospects such as Dart and Milroe have been predicted to be available in Round 2. Howard, Leonard, Shough, and Gabriel will most likely be Round 3 selections. Rourke and Texas QB Quinn Ewers are Round 4 guys.

Early on in the draft process, Sanders was said to be either the first or second overall draft pick. Now that the Tennessee Titans have cemented QB Cam Ward of Miami as their choice for the first pick, the Browns will have their preference of talented athletes from which to choose.

One thing to note about the player Cleveland drafts this year: he does not have to start this year. Or the next. He can be brought in and groomed, taught, and brought along slow and deliberate. Not only is this valuable to the young buck, but to the Browns’ coaching staff to not have the pressure to ruin a youngster and force him to play at an elite level right off.

That knocks Sanders out of the #2 spot.

A quick look at the pecking order of this year’s draft reveals which teams need a high-level quarterback.

The New York Football Giants at #3 have signed future Hall of Famer Russell Wilson and veteran Jameis Winston. They may be satisfied with that combination. The Las Vegas Raiders at #6 is an intriguing spot. But they just signed Geno Smith to a long-term extension and have two young quarterbacks on their roster in Aidan O’Connell and Carter Bradley. New York Jets at 7? Just signed Justin Fields to a huge deal, so they are good.

The New Orleans Saints at the #9 pick could be an option for Sanders. Currently, they have four quarterbacks already. They seemed satisfied with Carr as their starter before his injury and really like their young prospect Spencer Rattler, so where would Sanders fit? Pittsburgh Steelers are drafting at #21. This could be the one team that would take Sanders. From that spot on until the Eagles select with the final choice in Round 1, none of those teams need a young guy at quarterback. It may appear that Sanders will drop significantly.

There have been several media outlets who are stating that Sanders’ stock has fallen quite a bit and his landing spot is now somewhat cloudy. At one time, he appeared to be a surefire Top-5 pick, but as veteran quarterbacks were signed to teams that needed a quarterback, now his stance of coming in and starting for a quarterback-needy team is no longer an issue.

Few teams can do what the Green Bay Packers have a habit of performing with selecting Aaron Rodgers behind Brett Favre, then wait three seasons. Or picking Jordan Love and again, wait three years before he took over for Rodgers.

The most popular prediction has Ward going to the Titans, Penn State DE Abdul Carter to the Browns, then Travis Hunter being selected by the Giants. (Or vice versa with the second and third pick.)

And if the Giants, Jets, Saints, and Steelers all pass on Sanders in the first round, then what?

There is another point to be made. With the possible ascent of both Dart and Milroe into the first round could that push Sanders completely out of Day 1?

It has already been established that Cleveland will draft a young quarterback this year. The Browns own the first pick in Round 2 at slot #33. Could this be a coincidence for the Browns and Sanders?