RADIO
Shedeur Sanders is a fantasy football sleeper and value in 2025 fantasy football rookie drafts. Read the fantasy football outlook for the new Browns quarterback.
DRAFT PICK: 5th Round (#144 Overall Pick)
TEAM: Cleveland Browns
ROOKIE DRAFT ANALYSIS: I maintain the stance I've had since before the NFL Draft, which is that Shedeur Sanders is the second-best quarterback from the 2025 class. The reasons Sanders dropped to the fifth round make some sense. His pre-draft interviews sounded like they didn't go too well, and he's not the most athletic player.
Still, the arm talent is clear when you watch him play. Sanders might not put elite-level velocity on his passes, but he's an incredibly accurate passer with above-average vision who can get the ball where it needs to go.
He showed some issues taking sacks last season, but if he can work on getting the ball out sooner, he can be a starter in the NFL. Maybe he won't be a true star in the NFL, but his chances of being a top 15 NFL quarterback at some point in his career are far higher than the chances of Dillon Gabriel doing that.
.@ShedeurSanders is a Cleveland Brown@Browns | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/RSgFvyd3zU
— NFL (@NFL) April 26, 2025
Cleveland's decision to draft Gabriel two rounds ahead of Sanders is still a headscratcher, though. Getting Gabriel in the third isn't a bad process at all...assuming you don't go on to draft another quarterback two rounds later. Likewise, getting Sanders in the fifth was a great value...if you hadn't already taken a quarterback.
This is a short-term concern, though. Given enough time, Sanders has the talent to emerge as the best quarterback in Cleveland. Maybe he won't start in 2025, but assuming he doesn't cause locker room issues, he'll get a shot at some point.
- Justin Carter
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