Browns owner sets the record straight on Shedeur Sanders pick

The Cleveland Browns made the most scrutinized fifth-round selection of all time in April, drafting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders 144th overall. He was the second QB drafted by the Browns this spring, but after an unprecedented slide down the board, Sanders instantly became a hot-button topic in Cleveland.

Sanders was projected as a first-round pick for months, but it quickly became clear that NFL teams did not see him that way. Moreover, much was made of the potential distraction that came with selecting Deion Sanders' kid — a college football megastar who has never played outside the bubble of his dad's influence. Once it got to a certain point in the draft, some fans felt the distraction might outweigh the benefits of a young backup quarterback with clear flaws.

Cleveland also selected Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Rarely do teams select two quarterbacks in the same draft, much less two quarterbacks with a real path to starting one day. The Sanders pick was rooted in value more than need, but many speculated that owner Jimmy Haslam — not GM Andrew Berry — was behind the move.

ESPN's Adam Schefter outlined the relationship between Haslam and the Sanders family on the NFL Draft broadcast.

Jimmy Haslam makes it clear who was responsible for Browns' Shedeur Sanders pick

Many were troubled by the idea that Haslam might be calling the shots in the war room, rather than general manager Andrew Berry. Most of the best-run organizations in sports feature a clear separation of powers. Of course, the owner gets the final say, but the best GMs are allowed to craft a team in their vision and deploy the expertise of their employees to arrive at the correct conclusions.

When asked about the Sanders pick at Browns training camp, Haslam was quick to clear up any uncertainty about who was responsible for the Colorado product's selection.

"We have good process," Haslam said. "We had a conversation early that morning and then we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. And the end of the day, that’s Andrew Berry’s call."

So, while Haslam was in the loop and certainly part of the process, he attributes the Sanders pick to his GM. Whether this is just Haslam deflecting potential blame or a genuine insight into how things unfolded, we may never know for certain.

Shedeur Sanders is fighting an uphill battle at Browns camp

Even with the recent injury to Kenny Pickett, it's clear that Sanders is being treated like a fifth-round pick. His name and pedigree has not earned him special favor, which is probably a sign that this was an organic pick, rather than an ownership directive to draft and develop a friend of the owner.

Joe Flacco appears to be at the front of the line for QB1 reps while Pickett nurses a mild hamstring injury. Meanwhile, with Deshaun Watson still working his way back from a twice-torn Achilles, Gabriel and Sanders are battling for QB3 duties. There's a good chance one of the rookies emerges at least as the primary backup before long, but Cleveland brought in a pair of veteran quarterbacks for a reason. This team is not interested in tanking while Watson rehabs.

Whether Sanders can surpass Gabriel, either in camp or later in the regular season, will be one of the most talked-about storylines of the 2025 campaign. That's probably unfair to both Gabriel and Sandes, but such is life when you draft the son of Coach Prime. The Browns asked for this, in a way. Berry needs both quartebacks to show signs of future utility, lest he can lampooned for drafting two bad quarterbacks in a bad quarterback draft.