The Cleveland Browns hoped they were getting a chip-on-his-shoulder competitor when they selected Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, they may have landed a distraction. Sanders, once considered a Day 1 talent, is now facing heavy scrutiny after being pulled over twice in two weeks, most recently for driving over 100 mph. The real concern? He skipped the court date for the first offense, raising questions not just about judgment, but about accountability. Sanders now faces a second court appearance scheduled for July 3.

Former NFL lineman Ross Tucker didn’t mince words while addressing the topic on The Ross Tucker Podcast. Initially downplaying the first incident, Tucker said, “Last week when it came out that he got a speeding ticket, I said, ‘It’s not really that big a deal.’” But, he confessed, his opinion shifted dramatically after the second incident. “I feel very differently about it now. The logic, or the mindset, to have gotten a speeding ticket and then, less than two weeks later, you’re driving over 100 miles an hour? Over 40 miles an hour over the speed limit? Less than two weeks after you just got a ticket?”

Tucker continued, baffled, “I don’t know if that’s entitlement or immaturity. There’s gotta be some teams that are feeling very good right now, that they didn’t draft him.” The former Browns star’s words echo a sentiment long attached to Sanders: that beneath the charisma and swagger lies an immaturity that NFL franchises were hesitant to embrace. Prominent among those were the Steelers, who needed a QB but didn’t draft him. And as per Tucker, Mike Tomlin is probably happy that he didn’t. Even the Giants, with rave minicamp reviews for their first-round pick, Jaxson Dart, are probably well at peace with their decision to ignore Sanders.

And while speeding, especially among young athletes, is hardly unheard of, what’s alarming is the timing and frequency. “There are definitely franchise quarterbacks that have had success after making mistakes like this, but not many,” Tucker added. “Not many that have the mindset, whatever that is, to do something like this twice in that short of a timeframe, to not learn from the mistake two weeks earlier. It’s honestly mind-boggling to me.” The message? You can make a mistake. You just can’t make the same one twice. In 14 days. And expect it to be ignored.

Coming into the draft, Sanders was a polarizing figure. Supporters praised his poise, mobility, and college stats. Falling to the fifth round felt like a wake-up call. But this off-field stumble, and doubling down on it, makes it clear that the learning curve is still steep. The Browns, to date, have made no public statement, and Sanders remains buried on the depth chart.

For a quarterback who once declared, “Whatever team drafts me, they’re gonna get someone who’s going to change the culture,” this is a less-than-inspiring start. If Sanders wants a shot at doing anything meaningful in Cleveland, he’ll need to show growth, maturity, and a serious sense of urgency. Because fifth-round QBs without clean slates rarely get second chances, especially when they haven’t even taken their first NFL snap.

Shedeur Sanders not guaranteed playing time in his rookie season

The Cleveland Browns thought they added developmental depth with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, but according to longtime Browns analyst Tony Grossi, they’ve instead created a distraction. “The drafting of Shedeur complicated the whole thing,” Grossi said on The Sick Podcast with Andy McNamara on June 20. “With that came the unintended consequence of him being just an overwhelming favorite, externally by all his fans and fans of Colorado.” Gabriel was viewed as the steady, coachable project. Sanders? He walked in as a brand.

Grossi laid it out plainly, “Dillon Gabriel would shape up as the developmental guy. Yeah, a future backup and potential starter occasionally.” But he believes Sanders’ media magnetism has distorted the narrative. The attention surrounding Deion’s son has overshadowed Gabriel’s strong, quiet start in minicamp. Sanders showed flashes, both on the field and in the parking lot, but Grossi argued it’s the franchise that should set the tone, not followers from Boulder.

Grossi didn’t stop there. “I tell all my listeners, and they don’t like hearing it,” he warned, “but the franchise quarterback is in next year’s draft.” That’s the prediction. Cleveland will likely move on from both rookies if neither proves maturity or command this season. With Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett no longer in the mix, the Browns will enter 2026 evaluating Sanders and Gabriel, and eyeing the 2026 class. This isn’t about starting now. It’s about proving they can survive the NFL way of life.

Both rookies have had moments. Gabriel, a multi-system college QB, has shown patience and adaptability. Sanders, on the other hand, lives under a microscope, some of it self-imposed. He’s brought flair to the Browns, sure. But he’s also brought headlines, speeding tickets, skipped court dates, diamond chains, and overwhelming public scrutiny. The Browns didn’t draft a backup, they accidentally drafted a celebrity. And that’s the tension.