CFB analyst makes a bold case for the Browns to pick Shedeur Sanders at No. 2

Modified Apr 09, 2025 16:42 GMT

NCAA Football: Alamo Bowl-Brigham Young at Colorado - Source: Imagn — CFB analyst makes a bold case for the Browns to pick Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 - Source: Imagn

College football analyst Tony Rizzo believes the Cleveland Browns need to take Shedeur Sanders with the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Heading into the draft, all signs point to the Tennessee Titans using the first overall pick to select Cam Ward. With that, the Browns will have options at second overall, but Rizzo thinks it should clearly be Sanders being picked second overall.

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"I've talked to my favorite people that I trust the most that have run teams in the league. (They say) not worth No. 2. I don't know what that means, do we need a quarterback, is there a good quarterback, do I just turn in the card?," Rizzo said on ESPN Cleveland on April 9.

Rizzo has been adamant throughout the draft process that the Browns should select Sanders.

The draft analyst thinks that Sanders could be a Day 1 starter at quarterback for Cleveland, filling a major need for the Browns.

Sanders helped turn the Colorado Buffaloes around, and Rizzo believes he can do the same for the Browns. He went 353-for-477 for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions last season with Colorado.

Browns coach praises Shedeur Sanders

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns have met with Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders is in the running to be selected second overall, and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski heaped a ton of praise on the quarterback.

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“He’s an extremely talented football player, Stefanski said of Sanders. "I think the important part as an evaluato—you want to talk to the player about plays and how he plays. I think he sees the game really, really well, has been raised the right way, I think they've done an outstanding job bringing him along in terms of understanding football. He's a very, very talented young man but off the field, is where I'm probably most impressed."

It's clear that the Browns are considering selecting Shedeur Sanders at second overall. However, according to the odds, the favorite remains to be Abdul Carter as the second overall pick.

The 2025 NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Gio Vergara