CLEVELAND, Ohio — Not long after the Browns drafted Shedeur Sanders, GM Andrew Berry received a phone call.
It was from the father of Sanders — Deion Sanders. Also Sanders’ coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders was grateful and sincerely touched as he thanked the GM more than once for drafting his son.
The draft was humbling for Sanders — and especially his father and coach, Deion Sanders. His son was supposed to be a first-round pick, or at least go in the second round. Most draft experts had him rated the No. 2 QB in the draft, behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Father and son gave off some vibes of entitlement during the draft process. Then reality hit. Name after name was called. Round after round went by. The father had to wonder if he mishandled the draft process for his son. Did he mess it up?
The Sanders family had to wait for the fifth round — the 144th pick — before the Browns traded up to claim Sanders.
Five quarterbacks were drafted before Sanders, including the Browns taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round.
The Sanders family had to be wondering … Dillon Gabriel? Really?
Yep. Not just Dillon Gabriel, but also Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Ward.
Sanders’ name was called 50 picks after Gabriel.
Message for Sanders
For Sanders, this could be exactly what he needs to start his pro career.
“Our message to him … is you have to come in here and work,” said Berry. “You’ve got to compete. That’s the message. Nothing is given.”
During his post-draft interview, Sanders was gracious.
“My main thing, I’m going to prove Coach (Kevin) Stefanski and Mr. Berry that they are right,” he said. “That I’m a good pick.”
Sitting around for three days awaiting a call from the NFL can shake a player’s confidence. There’s a line from a Jimmy Buffett song, “If the phone doesn’t ring … it’s me.”
It can lead to an attitude adjustment, if that is required. Sanders played for his father through four years of college and on teams before that.
Those days are over.
If Deion tries to influence the Browns about his son, the answer should be, “You have your own team (Colorado) to coach.”
As Berry said, “Our personal relationship and interactions with Deion have been all positive from our perspective. And I mean that organizationally, not just me and Kevin, but really all of us who have interacted with Deion and the people out in Colorado. We don’t typically penalize prospects for their parents … I can’t say if that was a factor or not for other teams, but that was not a significant factor for us.”
Shedeur Sanders also needs to establish his own identity.
“I know I’m going to fit in perfectly (with the Browns),” he said. “It’s showing respect to the vets, showing them I’m here ready to work … Showing the coaches and have them understand, I’m here ready to work.”
Sanders will be in the same quarterback room with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel. Deshaun Watson may be in some meetings when he’s at the facility rehabbing his twice torn Achilles.
Sanders is far down on that depth chart once the minicamps begin.
What are they doing?
That’s what I said when I heard the Browns drafted Sanders? They just took Gabriel. Did they really have Gabriel rated over Sanders? It’s hard to find a draft expert who’d agree with that ranking.
Berry admitted he didn’t expect Sanders “to be available in the fifth round.” He also said they didn’t go into the draft with the intention of taking two quarterbacks.
Well, he did.
Berry mentioned that their plan was not to take two running backs. But they did just that in Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins (No. 39) and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (No. 126).
The difference is running backs can help on special teams. The Browns also had only one viable running back on the roster heading into the draft — Jerome Ford. They need help at that position.
I just wonder what happened between the third round (Gabriel, No. 94) and the fifth round (Sanders, No 144).
“We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mis-priced relative to the draft,” said Berry “The acquisition cost was pretty light. It’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot. So, I wouldn’t say it’s any more than that.”
What about the role of Owner Jimmy Haslam in the decision? Berry admitted the trade for the rights to draft Sanders came together quickly. Was Haslam behind it?
“Jimmy lets us do our jobs,” said Berry. “Yeah, Jimmy lets us do our jobs.”
Nonetheless, owners usually have some influence in a high profile move such as this, even if it’s only a low draft choice involved.
Attention is coming
This is not like the Browns trading for Watson or like trading up in the first round to pick Johnny Manziel in 2014. The price for Sanders is minimal. Nor does Sanders come with the off-field problems of those other two quarterbacks.
That said, I would not have drafted him — especially after having already selected Gabriel. The Browns can pretend he’s a lowly fifth-round pick, but he won’t be treated that way in terms of media attention, etc.
Perhaps this is just me suffering from Browns QB drama fatigue. As a QB prospect, I think Sanders is … OK. Nothing special.
It’s going to be a challenge for Stefanski to sort through his four QBs, especially since he hasn’t declared anyone a starter. Far more media people and fans will be asking him about Sanders, why isn’t he playing more, etc.
This is not like bringing in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, their last QB drafted in the fifth round. His contract was $4.1 million over four years with $342,268 guaranteed. Sanders’ deal will probably be in the same range.
After living in Watson World for three years, I suppose Stefanski is equipped to handle whatever Sanders brings with him.
But Stefanski’s real job will be preparing someone (probably Pickett) to start opening day and win games. And keep a backup ready (probably Flacco). And give the higher draft pick (Gabriel) time on the field. Sanders has never been in such a humble football position as this.
But the good part of this story is the Browns have little to lose if Sanders struggles. The investment is minimal. They can just cut him. And if he succeeds, then they got a bargain.
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