Former Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders slipped to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft before finally being selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 overall pick.

If Browns owner Jimmy Haslam would have gotten his way, Sanders would have continued to be on the board after that.

Haslam told reporters on Tuesday that drafting Shedeur Sanders was not his decision and was not a move he expected Cleveland to make.

“If you’d have told me… Friday night driving home, ‘Y’all are going to pick Shedeur,’ I would say, ‘That’s not happening,’” Haslam recalled.

As it turns out, Haslam would have been wrong.

The Browns had a conversation about selecting Shedeur Sanders, and Cleveland General Manager Andrew Berry ultimately made the call to do so.

Even if it is not a move Haslam planned on making, he trusts the people he has in place in the Browns front office to make the right choices. Time will tell if drafting Shedeur Sanders will turn out to be the right decision.

“We had a conversation early that [Saturday] morning, and then we had a conversation later that day,” Haslam said. “I think we had the right people involved in the conversation.

“At the end of the day, that’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur, just like who’s going to start or what play we’re going to call is [Kevin Stefanski’s] call. That’s Andrew’s call. He made the call.”

While Jimmy Haslam may have been hesitant to draft Sanders, there’s no arguing the quarterback’s resume.

Sanders was projected to be a first-round pick in April’s draft, before falling to the third day.

The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders started his college career playing for Deion at Jackson State, before following him to Colorado.

He helped turn around the Buffaloes program and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2024. Shedeur was also named a second-team All-American last season, as well as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.