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The Cleveland Browns taking Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft was shocking on multiple levels. The biggest surprise was the projected first-rounder's catastrophic fall but also that the Browns already took a quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, two rounds earlier.
The Browns were not the only team to pass on Sanders for four rounds, but they traded up to get him at No. 144. Many felt that the act of taking Gabriel in the third round was simply due to the entire league giving Sanders the cold shoulder, but Cleveland scouted and liked the Oregon quarterback more than most realized, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
“Gabriel was in a group of top prospects the [Browns] hosted on top-30 visits in early March,” Oyefusi wrote. “The cohort included Sanders, but Gabriel's inclusion was not reported at the time — the team website only named Sanders, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter and Colorado receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter — and went under the radar.
“Cleveland's top decision-makers also traveled to Eugene, Oregon, for a private workout with Gabriel and got an up-close look at him during the Senior Bowl, as multiple Cleveland coaches participated in the all-star event.”
Oyefusi added that the Browns put a lot of stock into the Senior Bowl, where they took a liking to Gabriel. After spending six years in college, the 24-year-old came with conspicuous age concerns, but he was still their top quarterback on the board in Round 3.
Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel prepare for Browns QB battle
By leaving Lambeau Field with two quarterbacks, the Browns now have five signal-callers on their roster. Cleveland still has DeShaun Watson through the 2026 season and signed Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in free agency. However, Watson is expected to spend the entire 2025 season on injured reserve after twice tearing his Achilles.
Flacco, who started five games for the team in 2023, is the team's de facto QB1 ahead of training camp. But at 40, his days as a 17-game starter are long behind him. Pickett also has years of starting experience in his back pocket, but Gabriel and Sanders are both likely to see quality playing time in their rookie seasons.
Sanders will be forced to fight his way up the depth chart for the first time in his career. He will enter training camp as the fourth-string quarterback but with a very feasible path to the top.
