2025 NFL Draft: Insider labels Shedeur Sanders as "steep discount" pick while making feelings known on Browns QB1 battle

The Cleveland Browns shocked the football world by skipping on Shedeur Sanders while selecting Mason Graham as the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, followed by a 94th pick for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur as the 144th pick.

The 23-year-old will reportedly lose $40 million as he slides out of the first four rounds and will now have only $4 million in guaranteed money with the Browns, a deal labeled "steep discount" by NFL analyst Mary Cay Cabot.

The former Colorado QB was relieved to join the Browns, but he will join a depth chart with three other players fighting for the starting spot: Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Prickett.

"It won’t be easy, considering the Browns passed on Sanders six times in the draft, including at No. 94 when they opted for Gabriel out of Oregon over the player widely-regarded throughout the pre-draft cycle as the No. 2 prospect behind Cam Ward," Cabot wrote on Tuesday.

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"The Browns were perfectly prepared for the draft to come and go without Sanders on their roster, and only traded up to grab him because the 'steep discount' was too good to pass up."

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Colin Cowherd weighs in on potential reasons behind Shedeur Sanders' draft slide

Coach Prime's son went from being projected as a first-round pick to the 144th pick. This draft slide was one of the most dramatic in NFL draft history.

There's much debate around why Shedeur Sanders' draft stock went down so dramatically, while some blame his alleged brash and arrogant attitude, others blame his father for making statements that potentially pissed off most of the teams.

During a segment of "The Herd" on Tuesday, sports analyst Colin Cowherd said that one possible reason behind Sanders' draft slide is the show he puts on. Cowherd shared that an executive told him that if Sanders doesn't go in the sixth to eighth picks, it means the teams look at him as a backup, and not a lot of teams would be willing to have a "celebrity" backup QB.

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Cowherd also mentioned that people thought Shedeur Sanders had no self-awareness, sharing that the intel he got on Coach Prime's son was shocking.

About the author

Prasen is an NFL/College Sports analyst at Sportskeeda. A B.Tech/Civil Engineering graduate, he has two years of experience writing content.

For Prasen, providing historical angles relevant to the story is important, as it can give the reader useful information and help them relate it to the present. He thinks this keeps the content unique rather than just a bland reporting of facts. Prasen believes in fact-checking and researching relevant information as per the headline and context. He hates clickbait or misleading the reader.

A fan of the Colorado Buffaloes since Deion Sanders took over as coach, Prasen expects Coach Prime to make the Buffs a national championship contender. Nick Saban is his favorite all-time coach, while Baker Mayfield and Caitlin Clark are his favorite players. Prasen considers Vince Young coming up clutch for the Texas Longhorns in the dying seconds of the 2017 national championship game against the USC Trojans as the most iconic moment of all time.

Per Prasen, College Sports is competitive and garners attention but it is just the beginning, where a student-athlete can show their skills and potential to make it to the big leagues. When he is not researching and writing, Prasen’s hobbies include pursuing higher studies and playing sports.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos