Browns QB Shedeur Sanders: ‘I’m focused on the small things’

Cleveland’s rookie QB staying prepared for when his opportunity comes.

The Cleveland Browns stopped quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ fall in the 2025 NFL Draft by selecting him in the fifth round.

In hindsight, it is clear that no one in the NFL was buying projections that Sanders would go in the first round, possibly at No. 1. But no one could have realistically expected him to drop as far as he did.

Related: Browns QB Dillon Gabriel: ‘I want to build a solid foundation’

It is not as if Sanders was an unknown on an obscure college team. He put up impressive numbers in his two seasons at Colorado – 7,364 passing yards, 64 touchdowns, and a 71.8 completion percentage – and, along with Travis Hunter, willed the Buffaloes into a nine-win team in 2024.

Normally, no one would be talking much about a quarterback selected in the fifth round, as the odds of them making it in the NFL, let alone starting, are very low. But Sanders is not a normal fifth-round selection given the current status of Cleveland’s quarterback room, given that the competition is:

• a short-term fix in Joe Flacco;
• a player destined to be a long-term backup in Kenny Pickett; and,
• fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who also put up impressive numbers in college, but lacks the prototypical size of a successful NFL quarterback.

As the Browns have worked through OTAs and this week’s mandatory veteran minicamp, head coach Kevin Stefanski has been working both Sanders and Dillon into the mix when it comes to taking reps with the first-team offense.

Those opportunities may dwindle once training camp starts in late July, especially as the team moves closer to the season opener in September against the Cincinnati Bengals. For now, Sanders said he is focusing on being ready when his name is called (quote via a team-provided transcript):

“Overall, it’s a mentality. A lot of people in certain situations in their own life know that may not be at the forefront that maybe had that at one point in time, but you got to know it’s going to be bright days eventually, whenever the time comes. So, you just always got to be prepared and you got to mentally take it as just experience.

“My goal is to be the best teammate and to be as polished as I can be. So, in every aspect, I view things as I got time. I got time to be able to grow and mature, you know, and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and be able to get the good insight from the vets in the room. (And when) it’s time for me to play, then it’s time for me to play. I’m focused on the small things, and over time, the big things will happen.”

Things may not have worked out the way Sanders hoped on draft night, but he now has an opportunity to make all those teams that passed on him regret their decisions.

And if he can do that, the Browns may have finally found some stability at a position that has vexed them for decades.