Shedeur Sanders already dividing Browns insiders after minicamp

If you ask The Athletic’s Cleveland Browns reporter, Zac Jackson, Shedeur Sanders had the obvious leg up in mini camp when the two quarterbacks worked out in front of media members. If you ask long-time Browns reporter Tony Grossi, it was a draw between Sanders and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Those are two very different perspectives from the same viewing session. So who’s right? I’d probably lean more toward Sanders. There’s no question Sanders is the more talented player between them. Gabriel was selected by the Browns because that’s who Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski liked. 

The Sanders pick felt like it was more of a Jimmy Haslam pick. But when a player of Sanders’ caliber falls to the fifth round, what do you lose in drafting him and seeing what he can do? We can all agree it was the off-field stuff that hurt his draft stock. 

He might not be the most athletic quarterback in this class and maybe has some technique things to work on, but let’s be honest; if you have a choice between Sanders and Gabriel, you’re probably taking Sanders. 

For Jackson to say he threw better than Gabriel and it wasn’t even a close battle, I’m not shocked by this at all. The good thing, too, is that one of the rookie quarterbacks is starting to separate himself from the other. How frustrating would it be if nothing separated them when it’s time to make cuts?

Shedeur Sanders is showing why he was a steal for the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round

I feel like right now, any comparisons between the two rookie Browns quarterbacks is more predicated on your personal opinion. I think we could objectively say Sanders was the better prospect, but he was drafted after Gabriel, so there’s an argument to be had there. 

I don’t think it really matters who’s right between Jackson and Grossi on evaluating quarterbacks during rookie minicamp. But it’s a good sign that the most important position is already causing controversy in Cleveland. 

Sanders will probably separate himself from the rest of the quarterback room. For the Browns, that’s the best-case scenario. But they drafted Gabriel for a reason, they won’t give up on him easily. Which is probably why Grossi feels the two are still in a close battle. 

Only time will tell. One thing that is for certain, as long as Sanders is in Cleveland, he’ll continue to divide the fan base on who has the edge, going into Week 1.