The Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has finally spoke on the team selecting Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. And in typical coach-speak fashion, Stefanski offered reassurance without giving too much away.
“Once you’re in the building, nobody really cares where you were drafted,” Stefanski said on CBS Sports. “I’ve been around so many great players that weren’t drafted. Clearly, [Shedeur] has the talent to go higher in the draft. Our job is to dive in and help him.”
That’s the kind of thing every coach says about a late-round quarterback. But Stefanski might actually mean it.
And still, as a Buffs fan who watched Shedeur go toe-to-toe in the Pac-12 and the Big 12, I can't help but raise an eyebrow. If Shedeur really had first-round talent—and I believe he does—then why did Cleveland pass on him for four full rounds?
The Browns had multiple opportunities to make Shedeur their guy earlier. But they took Oregon's Dillon Gabriel two rounds before they grabbed Sanders. That feels more like insurance than investment.
Let’s not forget: Cleveland is not set at QB. Deshaun Watson’s contract is massive, but his on-field production has been anything but stable. The depth behind him? Question marks.
That said, Stefanski is one of the better QB developers in the league. He turned Case Keenum into an NFC Championship starter. So maybe he sees a real project in Shedeur.
The Browns are betting on upside here. But let’s not kid ourselves—if they truly believed Shedeur was a franchise guy, they wouldn’t have waited until the 5th round. Stefanski’s words might be genuine, but the draft board tells its own story.
It is, however, on Shedeur to prove that every team that passed on him made a mistake. And in Cleveland’s QB room, that window might open sooner than we think.
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