CNN
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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.
After hearing his named finally called, Sanders celebrated on the Twitch social media platform and called his draft slide “perfect timing.”
“Our belief in God, that’s all we care about. We know these decisions, things happen, sometimes it’s adversity,” the 23-year-old said. “You just got to remain positive, stay happy at all times and know God got you. … So I wasn’t really panicking because I understood it’s about perfect timing.”
Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters he didn’t expect Sanders to be available in the fifth round but said the team believes in adding compettion for every position.
“Obviously, Shedeur has kind of grown up in the spotlight, but our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing’s been promised, nothing will be given. I hesitate to characterize (the pick) as a blockbuster. That’s not necessarily how we thought of the transaction, but we are excited to work with him.”
Despite not getting picked on Thursday or Friday, Sanders did remain positive, saying “Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” in a post on X Friday night.
“Given the nature of the weekend for him – relative to let’s say external expectation versus what happened – you know we did tell him that it really doesn’t matter where you’re picked, it’s what you do from that point forward,” Berry added.
“In terms of his reaction, I’d just say it was probably a mixture of like gratitude, relief and determination, that would probably be the best way to characterize it. But he’s certainly ready to go.”
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 Jaxson 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), Sanders’ teammate, found new homes with the Seattle Seahawks and Browns respectively in the third round.
“I think every player when they come into the draft, knows what number they were picked or if they were unpicked, and you can use that for motivation,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “First round pick, seventh round pick, undrafted, once you’re here and you’re on our football team, you’re a part of this culture, you’re a part of this family, and we’re just gonna keep our head down and get to work.”
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 story has been updated with additional information.