After a surprisingly long wait, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders selected by Cleveland Browns in 5th round
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days in July.
By Wayne Sterling and Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — And on the third and final day of the NFL draft, University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round Saturday.
It was a surprisingly long wait for the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Sanders was widely expected to be picked early on with several teams in need of a quarterback.
Despite not getting picked on Thursday or Friday, Sanders remained positive, saying “Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” in a post on X Friday night.
In a video posted by his brother Deion Sanders Jr.’s Well Off Media company on Saturday, Shedeur Sanders described his slide as “unexplainable.”
Earlier on Saturday, Sanders wrote on X, “Another day another opportunity to get a chance to play the game I love. Thank you GOD #LEGENDARY”
Five quarterbacks were selected before Sanders.
On Thursday, the Tennessee Titans selected University of Miami’s Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick and the New York Giants chose Jaxon Dart (25th overall) from Ole Miss in the first round.
Friday saw three quarterbacks picked – Louisville’s Tyler Shough (40th overall) to the New Orleans Saints in the second round while Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (92nd overall) and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (94th overall) found new homes with the Seattle Seahawks and Browns respectively in the third round.
Sanders, the former four-star recruit coming out of high school has only been coached by his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, during his four-year collegiate career that started at Jackson State University in 2021.
After two seasons with the Tigers, Sanders followed his father to Boulder, Colorado, to play at Colorado ahead of the 2023 season along with JSU teammate Travis Hunter, who was drafted second overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.
Sanders was prolific in his two seasons under center for the Buffaloes, leading them to a 9-4 record last year while throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished eighth in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting.
The-CNN-Wire
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
