Shedeur Sanders has officially been drafted.
Shedeur, son of former NFL star and current Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, was passed over in the first four rounds of the draft, which began on Thursday, April 24. He was finally selected by the Cleveland Browns as the 144th overall pick on Saturday, April 26. The Browns had previously passed on Shedeur six times over the course of the recent selection process, per NFL.com.
This marks the end of months of speculation surrounding where the 23-year-old quarterback, who came off a 2024 season at Colorado, would begin his professional football career.
Shortly after the pick was announced, Shedeur posted a simple message on X, writing, “Thank you GOD.”
Several moments later, the Cleveland Browns shared a sizzle reel of Shedeur on their X account, writing: “Another playmaker in the mix,” along with a bullseye emoji.
The fifth-round selection came as a surprise to Shedeur and dad Deion, who threw a lavish draft-day party on the first day of the draft. During the festivities, Deion, 57, could be seen shaking his head in disappointment when the New Orleans Saints — a top predicted landing spot for Shedeur — picked Kelvin Banks Jr. instead.
The moment was shared by uStadium on X.
After the party, Deion posted a video on Instagram of his son speaking to guests, letting them know that while “we all didn’t expect this,” he felt confident that it happened for a “reason,” adding that it only added “fuel to the fire.”
Deion echoed his son’s sentiments in a message shared on his Instagram Stories several hours before the pick announcement, writing: “We trust GOD & and we don’t know any other way,” in simple white letters over a black background.
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Shedeur was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in the 2024 season. He also threw for 64 touchdown passes over his two seasons, which was a school record, per the Cleveland Browns’ official website.
Prior to the draft, it was widely thought that Shedeur would likely be a first or second-round pick for major teams like the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.
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