NFL rookie and former college star Shedeur Sanders once again found himself in deep controversy as new details that shed further light on the truth of what happened to his draft position were revealed by Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and former NFL star Antonio Brown.
One of the most shocking developments of the 2025 NFL draft was what happened with rookie Shedeur Sanders, who was originally expected to be a first-round pick, but eventually fell to becoming a fifth-round pick.
In a recent press interview, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam revealed that it wasn’t his call to draft Sanders during the fifth round, but rather that of general manager Andrew Berry.
“We had a conversation early that morning, and then we had a conversation later that day,” Haslam said. “That’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur, just like who’s gonna start or what play we’re gonna call is Kevin’s call, that’s Andrew’s call. He made the call.”
Following this statement, former NFL star Antonio Brown got honest about what he knows of the situation, and reacted to Haslam’s statement via a post on X.
“Jimmy doesn’t want to publicly admit he broke the agreement between the 31 other owners,” Brown wrote on his post.
Jimmy doesn’t want to publicly admit he broke the agreement between the 31 other owners. https://t.co/0LVsbQlMn6
— AB (@AB84) July 30, 2025
Shedeur Sanders entered the 2025 NFL Draft riding a wave of hype, with ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper ranking him as the second-best quarterback prospect and predicting a top-five selection.
Scouts lauded his poise, accuracy and football IQ, but as Day 2 passed with Sanders still on the board, shock rippled through draft circles. The Cleveland Browns ultimately traded up to take him with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round.
Will Shedeur Sanders be QB1 for The Browns?
Shedeur Sanders stepped onto the Browns’ CrossCountry Mortgage Campus with an unmistakable edge, leading the quarterback group through nine practices with the highest completion percentage and most touchdown passes among the competitors.
The fifth-round rookie outpaced veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow newcomer Dillon Gabriel, in ESPN Cleveland’s training camp tracker, signaling a rapid ascent from developmental prospect to frontrunner for the starting job.
Coaches have praised his ability to be calm under pressure and make quick decisions, which were qualities he honed during his two great years at Colorado when he was a remarkable passer in college football. With preseason games almost here, his statistical dominance and ability to adjust allows for speculation that he could replace the veteran options under center.
Shedeur Sanders remains the talk of the Browns’ training camp, his precision passing and red-zone efficiency forcing coaches to consider a new direction under center.
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