The Cleveland Browns took a big chance on Shedeur Sanders.
He had a huge media platform, and he reportedly approached the 2025 NFL Draft as a superstar player being recruited.
Multiple pre-draft issues surfaced, and his talent didn’t outweigh those concerns.
Teams knew that the dynamics he had at Colorado weren’t going to apply in the NFL, at least early on.
According to ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, Sanders had the freedom to change play calls when he was in college, which isn’t something that’s going to happen as an NFL rookie.
“I’ll tell you what I heard pre- and then post-draft. The big thing was that Shedeur had the ability in that offense to change the play call if he didn’t like it. So Pat Shurmur called something, Shedeur didn’t like it. You’re the head coach’s son. You’re the starting quarterback. You do whatever you want, basically. This is just what I’ve been told by scouts who went through there. You hear that and you think, ‘Oh, that’s great. You have a coach that really trusts his quarterback.’ I think it was more so on the basis of ‘You’re the coach’s son, so you have more freedom than you might otherwise have.’ I don’t think we’re going to see Colorado’s quarterback have that opportunity next year, for example,” Miller said, via 92.3 The Fan.
“I don’t think we’re going to see Colorado’s QB have that opportunity next year.”
📞 @nfldraftscout with @NickWilsonSays and @JPeterlin on what he heard, watched on tape re: #Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders 🏈⤵️
🔊 Listen: https://t.co/s12xignfhu pic.twitter.com/bbQwE85Y2l
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 30, 2025
Not even the best prospects have that kind of freedom when they arrive in the NFL.
Players need to earn their stripes, regardless of the last name on their jersey.
There were other worrisome reports about Sanders as well.
While some people believe that was all a part of a big conspiracy, NFL teams have ignored major red flags when a player has superstar potential.
They wouldn’t pass on Sanders just because he’s too confident or his dad was his head coach.
Time will tell, but he may have a tough time proving his doubters wrong.
NEXT:
Analyst Gets Honest About Browns’ Questionable Draft Pick
