Entering the draft, the Browns were among the teams seen as a logical landing spot for a rookie quarterback. The team did wind up adding at the position, although not in the way they (or many others) anticipated. 
Cleveland declined to draft a signal-caller until late in the third round when Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel was added. That move seemed to close the door to Shedeur Sanders being selected, but on Saturday the Browns moved up into the fifth round to acquire the Colorado product. More details have emerged regarding the latter’s slide down the order.
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Sanders met with one team at the Combine which discussed an interception dating back to his college career (with breakdowns of such plays being standard practice), as detailed by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. He writes Sanders declined to take the blame when speaking about the play, and added his feelings that he and the team may not be the best match for one another. Per Breer, a different visit resulted in a disagreement between Sanders and an NFL coach when he failed to recognize intentional mistakes in a hypothetical offensive install.
Off-the-field factors have been cited as presumed reasons why Sanders – once viewed as being in the running to be drafted as high as second overall by the Browns and the subject of considerable scouting attention this season – fell all the way to pick No. 144. Being the son of Deion Sanders has long been regarded as an element of drafting Shedeur which would give many NFL teams pause. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi report, though, multiple evaluators assigned a late first-round grade on Sanders while many others listed him as a Day 2 pick. A slide out of the top of the order thus came as little surprise, but remaining on the board as late as he did comprised one of the draft’s top talking points.
“I feel like in life, there’s always a way I can improve,” Sanders said (via Oyefusi). ” I’m able to improve. And some things that I [did] that seemed right at the time, I could’ve went about it a different way. I think what happened was I had a great interview and had a great process with the Browns, and that’s why they were able to pick me. So anything outside the organization is really a [non-factor] for me now.”
Sanders is now a member of a quarterback room which includes veteran Joe Flacco and trade acquisition Kenny Pickett along with Gabriel. General manager Andrew Berry noted (via the ESPN report) the Browns did not expect to draft two passers this weekend. Since they have, though, the team’s QB situation will be an interesting storyline to follow as the offseason unfolds.
The Browns might be the dumbest team In any sport ever
Or the smartest. They’re going to have what other teams are going to need.
Definitely not the smartest. No matter how you spin it hahahahahaha.
From google: Since 2000, the Cleveland Browns have a record of 139-264-1.
Please show us the smart part of the Browns.
With 38 different starting QBs since 1999. That’s incompetence (even worse than stupidity).
If They weren’t before drafting Sanders, they certainly are now.
Some still don’t get how humility is a strength, not a weakness. His arrogance and ignorance cost him millions now and probably more in the future as being drafted this late usually means the team drafting isn’t going to go out of their way to set you up as their franchise QB. For instance, Cam Ward will be given every opportunity to be the franchise QB. To make things even worse, now you’re stuck in Cleveland for 3-4 years Not exactly a Prime(pun intended) place to live.
He’s only stuck in Cleveland if he’s on the roster.
“His arrogance and ignorance cost him millions.” Man, people love making comments like this about people they’ve never met and decisions made about them by people they’ve never met.
Was it his skill that cost him millions?
I think if teams thought he was a better on field prospect with more upside, he wouldn’t have fallen past the second. But the idea that we know “arrogance and ignorance” are what made him fall is goofy. Some people are in a weird hurry to believe the worst about a young stranger based on not much.
His dad cost him millions. A smart agent could have helped get him into the second, if not first round, despite a somewhat suspect skill set.
Well, it obviously did. I can’t read a FB column without seeing an article about a GM interview that went seriously sideways.
There were also reports of some meetings going well. This idea that he definitely fell because of “arrogance and ignorance” is not exactly a substantiated fact.
Interesting article on CBS S Sanders threw most of his passes last year on screens which raised his completion %.
link to cbssports.com
Yeah I think >80% of his completions were fewer than 5 yards downfield
“I had a great interview and had a great process with the Browns, and that’s why they were able to pick me.”
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It was such a great interview that they drafted him in the 5th, with very little available, and behind a guy that, sadly, I know nothing about.
I’m going to agree with Oooof to a certain extent. It seems like some scouts and coaches who interviewed Sanders were just gauging if he could be used as a fall guy. They wanted him to accept blame and account for his mistakes but how willing are they to do likewise when they screw up? The concept that humility is required to succeed as a QB is rather naive. Aaron Rodgers is proof of that.