Shedeur Sanders wasn’t the first player in NFL draft history to be taken later than expected and he won’t be the last. At the very least, he won’t be alone.
In some ways, Sanders joined some good company after sliding down the board.
Sanders was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Rumors swirled that the Colorado quarterback could’ve been taken 142 picks earlier by the same team, but landing in the fifth round was clearly a shock.
Tom Brady knows a thing or two about being drafted late in the process after he was famously selected with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. The future Hall of Fame quarterback turned NFL on Fox broadcaster and part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders had some words for the prospect.
During an appearance on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Brady shared that he spoke with Sanders via text.
‘I actually texted Shedeur because I know him very well,’ Brady said. ‘And I said, ‘Dude, whatever happens, wherever you go, that’s your first day. Day 2 matters more than the draft.’ I was 199. So who can speak on it better than me? Like what that really means. Use it as motivation, you’re going to get your chances and go take advantage of it.’
Brady added that it’s about Sanders’ performance at this point, highlighting some of his teammates that also weren’t picked early in the draft.
‘I was around some of the best players who were undrafted free agents. They were Rodney Harrison. Rodney Harrison wasn’t a high pick. Julian Edelman wasn’t a high pick. Wes Welker wasn’t a high pick. Danny Amendola. All those guys were phenomenal players. So what’s it matter than some overhyped day where a lot of people are selling stories and saying, ‘Alright this is the big day and this is the draft and it’s an important day and it’s fun and I love you know watching it and seeing it?”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion pointed out that he’s been there on Day 2 when those players are tasked with learning a playbook and becoming part of the locker room.
Sanders will have a long road ahead of him in order to compete for the Browns’ starting gig. Heading into training camp, he’s likely the fifth quarterback on the depth chart. He’ll likely slide up to fourth as long as Deshaun Watson remains sidelined.
Still, Sanders will have to leap over Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow 2025 draft pick Dillon Gabriel to land a roster spot.
The odds for a fifth-round pick to do that are certainly stacked against him. Of course, Sanders isn’t a normal fifth-round pick.
He also has the greatest quarterback of all time in his corner. It remains to be seen if that will count for something in Cleveland.
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