When the Cleveland Browns traded up to select Shedeur Sanders with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, they were bringing in a player that the media would talk about nonstop.
Since the selection, Sanders has been arguably the most talked-about player in the NFL. Everyone is making predictions about what his future has in store for him. There are also questions about whether or not he’ll earn playing time as a rookie.
Sanders will be involved in a hotly contested quarterback competition. The Browns have five different quarterbacks on the roster as of right now.
Those five quarterbacks are Sanders, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson. While Watson has likely played his final snap in Cleveland, the other four players are all going to be competing to start Week 1.
Flacco seems to be the current favorite to win the Week 1 job. However, that is far from set in stone. He is also far from guaranteed to keep the starting job for long if he does win the job for the season opener.
With the quarterback competition looming, one Browns insider has spoken out and made a major prediction for Sanders ahead of his rookie campaign.
Tony Grossi, an ESPN radio personality in Cleveland and an analyst for TheLandOnDemand, was asked his opinion on whether or not Sanders will start at some point in 2025. He believes that the former Colorado Buffaloes’ standout will indeed make starts.
“I’ll say yes, based on history,” Grossi said. “The Browns started nine quarterbacks over the last two years.”
During the team’s rookie minicamp, Sanders looked sharp. There were a lot of strong takes made about him following his performance in that camp.
There is still a lot of work for the son of the legendary Deion Sanders to put in. He seems to have embraced that work. Sanders is completely dedicated to proving his critics wrong and leading the Browns back to playoff contention.
If he can make that goal become a reality, he will be treated like royalty in Cleveland. For now, he’ll continue competing for playing time, and fans are sure to be watching him very closely when training camp and preseason action arrives.
