The Cleveland Browns finished an astonishing slide from Chedur Sanders on the third day of Saturday’s NFL Draft, making him the second quarterback of choice this weekend.
The Browns traded for the Seattle Seahawks to select Sanders on their 144th overall pick in the fifth round on Saturday. Cleveland gave Seattle a 166th and 192nd pick.
After being selected, Sanders Posted on x: “Thank God.”
Shiro and Chedur danced after Chedur was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
(via Shirothander/Convulsion) pic.twitter.com/qprvxcof4c
– Adam Schefter (@adamschefter) April 26, 2025
“I think I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity through everything,” Sanders said during a conference call with a local reporter. “I never focus on the negative or think about the negative because positivity happens so quickly and emotionally changes. For me, I was playing quarterback, and that’s what it is.
The Browns had been linked with Sanders after spending extensive time with him throughout the draft process, but passed him on multiple occasions. Cleveland traded back to the Jacksonville Jaguars from slot 2 to fifth place, earning a trade package that includes the 36th pick (which the team used to run for Quinshon Judkins) and the 2026 first round pick. Cleveland chose defensive tackle Mason Graham on his fifth overall pick.
The Browns passed Sanders again at the end of the third round and selected quarterback Dilongabriel on the 94th pick. When asked why the team didn’t choose Sanders, general manager Andrew Berry pointed out that four rounds remained and that he remained impressed by Sanders. According to team sources, despite Gabriel’s choice, Sanders remained on the team’s board.
Berry told reporters on Saturday that when the team entered the third day there was debate over the possibility that he could target Sanders if he continued to collapse. Berry said the team was running early with some of the players they targeted in the final round, and the decision to trade with him quickly came together as Sanders continued to become available.
“We often talk about quarterbacks being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “We obviously spent a lot of time with Chedur throughout the process. He’s very accurate, he plays well from the pocket and has a very productive college career. And although I felt that he wasn’t planning on going on the weekend to select two quarterbacks, we believe in positional values. It was the right thing to do.”
Berry later states: “If you feel like it’s a pretty sudden discount, I felt this made the most sense, especially compared to the alternative way you can use this option.”
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said at the beginning of the week that all players in the quarterback room will compete for the starter. This offseason, the Browns acquired Kenny Pickett in trade with the Philadelphia Eagles and signed Joe Fraco in free agency. Dehaun Watson is expected to miss out on most of the 2025 season after holding back his right Achilles tendon.
Since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999, quarterback stability has escaped the Browns. During that period, 40 different quarterbacks were launched for the team. Sanders has the opportunity to compete for early start roles in the shaped quarterback room.
When Sanders slipped into the third day during the draft process, reports and rumors emerged about how his personality and celebrity development as the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame and Colorado Football coach Deion Sanders were hampering the team. However, Berry said the team had a positive interaction with Chedur and felt comfortable with him as an individual.
“We felt good about him as him,” Berry said. “He’s working hard, he’s a really good kid and he wants great. His teammates loved him in Colorado. He’s ready to come here and try to advance his best feet in all areas of competition.”
When asked if the way he handled his pre-draft interviews could have played a role in his fall, Sanders said, “I think what happened, I had a great interview with the Browns and a great process. So they could choose me.
During the pre-draft process, the Browns met with Sanders at the To-Sai Shrine Bowl and again at the NFL Scouting Combine. Cleveland also visited Sanders, before a bunch of flashy guys in Boulder, Colorado, had dinner with him and two-way star Travis Hunter, and the night before a professional day workout.
“People, they were real. It was really cool,” Sanders said of his visit to the Browns facility in March. “So I left that visit knowing that if that were a place for me, they would really feel comfortable with what they had.”
Four-year college starter – Sanders spent his first two seasons at FCS Jackson State, played for his father before moving to Colorado, leading the FBS with a completion rate of 74% last season and second in the FBS with a 37 passing touchdown. The second-team national selection, Sanders was named the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top upper class man quarterback.
Sanders was the sixth quarterback filmed in the draft, following Camward, Jackson Dart, Tyler Shaff, Jalen Milllow and Gabriel.
“The main thing I’m proofing,” Sanders said. “It’s just that Coach Stefanski and Mr. Berry are proof that they’re right, that they’re right about choosing me. I’m a good decision and I’m a good draft choice for them.”
Sanders wasn’t the only son of Sanders, who won an NFL job on Saturday. Undrafted Colorado Safety Shiro Sanders has signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to a source who told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
