When Shedeur Sanders finally heard his name at pick 144, there wasn’t some dramatic meltdown—just a quiet fire. Rookie minicamp rolled in, and the kid showed up like he had something to prove. He dropped dimes in 7-on-7s, finishing 10-of-12 with two touchdowns. Then came the 30-yard laser that had the sideline buzzing. In a room full of QBs, he didn’t just belong—he owned the moment without saying a word.

Fast-forward to OTAs and minicamp, and Sanders kept that same energy. He went 41-for-53—77.4% completion, nine touchdowns, just one pick. That’s not normal for a rookie fresh off a draft-day slide. Joe Flacco noticed. Coach Kevin Stefanski noticed. Even the trainers started sticking around longer. It wasn’t just clean footwork or polished throws—it was composure, like he’d already seen all this in his head. Fifth round or not, he walked in like it’s his huddle.

And now? Well, after the veteran Flacco and the HC Stefanski, the highest-paid non-QB, Myles Garrett, noticed Shedeur’s determination after the minicamp wrapped up. Recently, Garrett was asked about Shedeur Sanders being drafted in the 5th round and what he’s seen from him so far. His response? “I think everyone’s surprised to see him go to the fifth round, but he’s come to camp and OTA should have made an attitude,” Garrett said.

“He’s a power working guy, he could have hit on his shoulders. He’s always positive, always optimistic, always gets smile on his face. You like going to work with people who have that kind of attitude.” A great start coming for rookie Shedeur? At this point, we can say that. After all, he’s getting nods from everyone in the Browns‘ building.

Ahead of the draft, Shedeur was one of the top 5 picks in most of the mock draft lists. His dad, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, once predicted that his kid would be one of the top two picks on draft night. But safe to say that the NFL scouts saw Sanders’ potential from a different angle. Day one came and went, and Shedeur never heard his name. Even day 2 of the draft turned out to be a major disappointment for the Sanders’ family.

Finally, the Browns saw an opportunity in the fifth round. What did they do? They moved up and grabbed the talented quarterback from Colorado. And everything started making sense. The Browns have never developed a quarterback since their return to the NFL. With Shedeur still waiting to hear his name, Cleveland made a move to include him in the crowded QB room.

Speaking of which, Shedeur is now competing against the veterans Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and the third-round pick, Dillon Gabriel, to make his way through as the Browns’ starting quarterback. And the way things are shaping up, and the way he performed so far, it’s safe to say that the odds are in his favor for the QB1 role. Will he? Won’t he? That’s going to be a debate until the training camp, and most probably during the preseason as well.

But for now, his participation in the team reps is a much bigger concern.

No first team reps for Shedeur Sanders so far

Slipping to day three of the 2025 NFL draft, and being a fifth-round pick has its own pitfalls. And Shedeur Sanders isn’t an exception either. But first, let’s take a look at the brighter side. The 23-year-old quarterback arrived at the OTAs and turned heads from the first moment. The QB threw nine touchdown passes during the OTAs, as per ESPN. Then came the mandatory minicamp, and things got even better.

Shedeur had an impressive TD pass to Gage Larvadain and another to Diontae Johnson in 7-on-7 drills. The QB amassed another couple of TDs in the 11-on-11 sessions. All in all, the former Colorado quarterback put together arguably the most impressive performance during the team’s practice sessions. If we round up all the practices, the QB finished with 41/53 (77%), 400+ yards, 9 passing TDs, and 1 pick. The catch?

It’s the Browns’ crowded QB room. Currently, Shedeur is reportedly the last in the team’s QB depth chart. And the plot thickens. Coach Stefanski hasn’t given him a single chance to take reps with the first team. And get this, the former NFL defensive back Tyvis Powell straight-up criticized HC’s decision.

“It is kind of ridiculous-everybody else can get first-team reps. The ball comes out, and he’s making good plays. So if that is the case, how has he not got a rep with the ones?” Powell said. Well, even though he’s named behind Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel on paper. But the way he performed at the OTAs and the minicamp, it’s certain that he’s in line to become the Browns’ QB1.

While the head coach shrugged off the outside noise of Shedeur won’t getting an opportunity to take reps with the first team, we’ll see how the training camp will work out.