Shedeur Sanders made a bold prediction during the Cleveland Browns’ rookie minicamp on Saturday.
When asked about Tom Brady, who was drafted with the 199th pick in 2000 and has been a mentor to Sanders, the rookie was confident he would out-play his draft stock, just as the New England Patriots legend did in his 23-year NFL career.
Advertisement
“My story is going to be similar,” Sanders said. “You know, I was a late-round draft pick, but we’re here now. So none of that stuff matters as it mattered on the day. I’m just excited to be here and ready to work.”
The former Colorado quarterback slid to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft in April before the Browns selected him with the 144th overall pick.
Brady spent his first year with the Patriots deep in the quarterback depth chart, but he went on to have a historic career with seven Super Bowl titles and five Super Bowl MVPs among his long list of accolades.
Like Brady at the time of his drafting, Sanders appears to be low in the pecking order of signal callers for Cleveland this upcoming season. Apart from drafting another quarterback in Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick, the Browns have several experienced quarterbacks in Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson.
Advertisement
On Friday, Sanders got his first reps with the Browns as the team ran drills and short-sided games from their facility in Berea, Ohio. During the session, Sanders showed his arsenal, throwing over the defense and threading passes for two touchdowns in 7-on-7 scrimmages.
Although Sanders played behind Gabriel on Friday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that order could change over the weekend.
“I wouldn’t look into anything,” Stefanski said. “I think you’ll see the whole weekend, going through the spring. I mean, we don’t pay too close attention to who is in there first.”
Browns insider Brad Stainbrook reported that Sanders “looked sharper than Dillon Gabriel” on Friday.
The pair of newcomers gives the Browns much-needed options as they look to secure their second postseason appearance in three seasons after finishing 2024 with a 3-14 record.