WATCH: Shedeur Sanders jumps into the pool after being picked by the Browns with 50,000+ fans tuned in

The wait is over as former Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders was finally selected as the 144th pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. There was speculation that the Browns could have picked Sanders in the first round. Then, when the Browns took Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round, it seemed unlikely they would check back in to pick Sanders.

Despite the Gabriel pick, the Cleveland Browns ended up drafting Shedeur Sanders as the sixth quarterback in the fifth round of the draft. Shortly after Sanders was drafted, he appeared on a live stream and celebrated with 50,000-plus fans who tuned in to watch.

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Also - as part of the celebration - Shedeur Sanders took off his shirt and jumped into the pool at Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders's house. It was a big celebration for Sanders, who was forced to wait much longer to be drafted than most people expected.

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Sanders - projected for months to be a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft - saw his draft stock start to fall in the weeks leading up to the draft. As a result, most pundits began to think the Pittsburgh Steelers could select him with the 21st pick. Instead, the now-former Colorado QB fell out of the first round entirely. He then went undrafted on day two and did not get selected until the fifth round.

How does Shedeur Sanders fit into the Cleveland Browns' lineup?

The Cleveland Browns were viewed as one of Shedeur Sanders's most likely destinations before the draft. However, after they selected Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third round, it appeared unlikely that they would choose another QB. In an interesting move, the Browns selected two unproven QBs in the 2025 NFL draft.

Heading into next season, it is unlikely that either player is the day one starter. Cleveland signed two veterans - Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett - during the offseason. Those moves were likely made with the knowledge that whoever they drafted would need time to develop.

However, both Sanders and Gabriel will be given the opportunity to win playing time next season. Neither Flacco nor Pickett is a franchise-level QB so that the job will be available during training camp.

Another obstacle for Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel could be QB Deshaun Watson. Though he is still under contract - despite his off-field issues - Watson is currently out with an injury, making his status for next season uncertain.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

Know More

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Edited by William Paul