GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (AP) – The long wait at Chedur Sanders has finally come to an end.
The Cleveland Browns chose the son of Colorado quarterback and Hall of Fame Deion Sanders in the fifth round, choosing their 144th overall pick in the NFL Draft on Saturday. It ended an astonishing fall for Sanders, the most famous player in this draft class, after his high-profile college career.
Draft predictions were generally evaluated among quarterbacks of this class, only after Miami’s Come Ward (Miami’s Come Ward, who was the first overall run to the Tennessee Titans). Instead, five quarterbacks were taken before him, one of them went to Cleveland in the third round when the Browns chose Oregon’s Dilongabriel.
“Choosing two quarterbacks wasn’t necessarily a plan to go on the weekend,” said Andrew Berry, general manager of the Browns. “But you know we believe in the best players and positional values available, and we know that we didn’t necessarily expect (Sanders) to be available in the fifth round.”
After such a long delay, Sanders finally released his feelings after receiving the call a few days later than expected.
With his brother Shiro live streaming Twitch’s minutes, Sanders was able to wear a Browns hat and watched him perform a festive dance at his family’s Texas home. Another video the NFL shared with X shows Sanders diving into the swimming pool.
“Thank God,” Sanders said in an X post.
Sanders suddenly became part of the busy Browns quarterback room as Desshaun Watson sat for the next season with a torn Achilles heel. Sanders and Gabriel join Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Joe Fraco.
The Browns took Sanders with them to exchange for 144 picks, replacing their own fifth pick (166 overall) and sixth pick (No. 192) for Seattle.
“We’re grateful for giving the Browns organization a chance,” Sanders said in a video posted on the Browns X account. “That’s all I need.”
Draft history includes many stories of quarterbacks waiting much longer than expected. Sometimes it ultimately worked for them.
Dan Marino was the sixth quarterback filmed in the famous 1983 draft class, making his appearance at Miami 27th overall, where he spent his entire Hall of Fame career. Aaron Rodgers was to go among the first few picks of 2005, but went to Green Bay in 24th place, where he won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl.
More recently, Will Revis was considered a nearly certain first-round pick in 2023, but slipped into the second round before Tennessee took 33rd overall.
However, it is difficult to come up with a fall as quickly as this.
Sanders has been one of the most famous names in college football for the last few years, but teamed up with 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, where Jacksonville placed second overall and played for his father.
He finished eighth in the Heisman poll last season, pitching a school record of 4,134 yards, helping Colorado make it 9-4. Buffalo went 4-8 in Sanders’ first season in 2023 after playing for his father for Jackson State for two years.
Sanders got much faster in most predictions heading into the draft.
That’s the outcome now.
The New York Giants traded up to score their 25th pick on Thursday, but chose Mississippi’s Jackson Dirt. The other three quarterbacks went on Friday. New Orleans chose Louisville’s Tyler Schaff in the second round. In the third round, Seattle chose Alabama’s Jalen Mill Law and Cleveland to take Gabriel.
Gabriel was responsible for the total touchdowns for a career with a subdivision record of 188 in the Football Bowl during his six-year college career, including stops in Central Florida and Oklahoma.
Cleveland became the first team to draft two quarterbacks in their first five rounds since 2012 when Washington won the second overall pick in the fourth round and Robert Griffin III with Kirk Cousins.
“We often talk about quarterbacks being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “We spent a lot of time with Chedur throughout the process. He’s very accurate and can play well from the pocket. You know, it’s a very productive college career.”
One criticism of Sanders was the fact that he was fired 94 times more than his past two seasons in Colorado. There was also concern about the strength of his arm. There was also concern about how he would adapt to playing for someone other than his father.
Another potential wildcard was how Sanders’ outspoken father would react if the team believed that Chedur was not developing enough.
Deion Sanders spoke in an old interview about his sons having an idea of where they want to play or where they don’t. He sometimes evoked the name of Eli Manning. Eli Manning said he was traded to the New York Giants during the 2004 draft and chose him on the No. 1 pick of the year after saying he didn’t want to play for the San Diego Chargers.
However, there are many reasons why I believe Sanders can succeed. Denver didn’t need a quarterback. Bohnicks were out of an exceptional rookie season, but Broncos coach Sean Payton offered a warning on Friday as he discussed Sanders’ amazing fall.
“This guy plays in this league, so you have this tip on his shoulder, so be careful,” Payton said.
Other familiar names were also photographed on Saturday.
Camsquattebo, a versatile running back who led Arizona to an incredible college football playoff appearance, went to the New York Giants for his 105th overall pick in the fourth round. Tennessee, running for Dylan Sampson, the 2024 Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year, went to Indianapolis in the fourth round. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord set the Atlantic Coast singleseason record for 4,779 yards last year, heading to Philadelphia in the sixth round.
Seven more players from Ohio have been selected. That means 14 realistic national champion players have been drafted.
In the fourth round, linebacker Cody Simon came in 115th in Arizona, Safety Rasan Ransom came in 122nd in Carolina, and Edge Rush Jack Sawyer came in 123rd in Pittsburgh. In the fifth round, defensive tackle Tie Hamilton went to Los Angeles Rams (148), cornerback Jordan Hancock to Buffalo (170) and cornerback Denzel Burk (174). Pittsburgh acquired quarterback Wil Howard in the sixth round (185).
The final day of the draft featured a quarterback trade as Seattle sent Sam Howell and his fifth round pick (172 overall) to Minnesota for the Vikings’ fifth choice (No. 142). Seattle then used a 142 pick at Notre Dame’s defensive tackle Riley Mills.
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AP Professional football writer Josh Dabow and AP Sports Writer Joliedi contributed to this report.
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