Andrew Berry describes Shedeur Sanders' reaction to Browns drafting him

It was a longer-than-expected wait for former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders before hearing his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Eventually selected No. 144 overall in the fifth round on day three by the Cleveland Browns, Sanders can rest assured he can now call himself an NFL QB.

“I’d just say it was probably a mixture of like, you know, gratitude, relief and determination,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said of Sanders’ reaction on Saturday following the conclusion of day three of the 2025 NFL Draft. “That would probably be the best way to characterize it. But he’s certainly ready to go.”

Berry spoke with Sanders ahead of the selection to let him know that the Browns would be bringing him on board. He revealed the message he and Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski gave to their new quarterback on the phone on Saturday as well.

“You’ve got to come in and work, and you’ve got to come in and compete,” Berry said. “That’s the message. Nothing’s given. Given the nature of the weekend for him, relative to, let’s say, external expectations, versus what happened.

“We did tell him that it really doesn’t matter where you picked, it’s what you do from that point forward. Because that’s the reality for all the guys that we selected this weekend.”

Sanders will be joining a quarterback room with the Browns that includes Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel and now, Sanders. Berry confirmed that Sanders is going to have a chance to compete for the team’s starting job, just like anyone in the rest of the QB room.

How Sanders will fare during the quarterback competition remains to be seen. However, based on the numbers he put up during his college career — many have predicted Sanders as a future starter in the NFL one day. Debates over whether his character or attitude led to his draft decline will remain a mystery, for now. However, what he’s put on tape is unquestionable.

As a senior in 2024, Sanders threw for a career-best 4,134 yards on an impressive 74% completion percentage to go along with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Spending the last two seasons playing for the Buffaloes, he scored 72 total touchdowns. All told, Sanders passed for 14,318 yards and 134 touchdowns.

Add in the chip on his shoulder after being snubbed by every NFL team multiple times over during the NFL Draft — and Sanders may be the most intriguing addition for the Browns this offseason. Only time will tell.