Even though the Cleveland Browns have a need at quarterback for the 2025 season, they may not push themselves to draft one if the player they prefer isn't available.
Per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, there's a feeling within the NFL right now that the Cleveland Browns "aren't high enough on Shedeur Sanders" to select him No. 2 overall.
Rosenblatt noted "rumblings" out of Indianapolis during the combine were that the Browns prefer Cam Ward.
Sanders' draft stock is one of the most fascinating stories to follow in the NFL right now. There's been an expectation for some time that his floor was the Las Vegas Raiders with the sixth pick.
Now, though, Sanders' draft projections are all over the place. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein released a new mock draft on Monday that had the Colorado star being selected by the Browns, but he had them trading back into the first round at No. 29 to add him.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote Sanders is considered a "wild card" in this draft because he "is not a first-round quarterback for a lot of NFL teams," with his range of outcomes potentially being a top-six pick or falling out of the first round entirely.
B/R's NFL scouting department currently has Sanders ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the 2025 class.
Cleveland is in a difficult spot because it has to add a starting-caliber quarterback to its roster this offseason. Deshaun Watson could miss the entire 2025 season after re-rupturing his Achilles in January while rehabbing the same injury he originally suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 last season.
Kirk Cousins is among the free-agent options who has frequently been linked to the Browns, assuming he gets released by the Atlanta Falcons.
Even if the Browns do like Sanders, though, they need to be sure about his skill set and upside to invest the No. 2 pick in him. This is their first time picking in the first round since 2021 due to the Watson trade with the Houston Texans in March 2022.
The Browns are assured of having their pick of at least one of Ward, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter in their current draft spot. They have 11 total picks right now, including two in the third round, that could allow them to trade up at the end of the first round if a player like Sanders is still on the board.
Sanders finished eighth in Heisman voting last season at Colorado. He threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and completed 74.0 percent of his attempts in 13 games.
Browns quarterbacks finished last in the NFL with a 71.4 rating in 2024. They threw for 3,506 yards, 19 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
