Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry sparked some day three fireworks during last weekend's NFL Draft when he made an aggressive trade to move earlier into the fifth-round to select Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
"We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft," Berry explained of the move following the draft. "Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and it’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot."
The decision came as a bit of surprise considering the Browns had just selected a QB 50 picks earlier in the third round, drafting Oregon's Dillon Gabriel with pick No. 94.
A week later, more intel into how Berry's move transpired has been revealed.
According to a new story from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Berry started making calls on a potential trade up the board for Sanders, late in the fourth round. Fowler specifically mentions pick 135 being around where Berry first tried to jump to.
Fowler also mentioned that after Berry Facetimed with Sanders, letting him know they were planning on drafting him, he also received a Facetime call from Shedeur's Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders, who thanked him.
Additionally, Fowler notes that most teams did have a day two grade on Sanders, but that several botched meetings during the pre-draft process seemed to hurt his draft stock. One in particular with the New York Giants seems to have made waves in NFL circles.
In the end, Sanders slide wound up benefiting the Browns, who were able to maximize the full potential of a fifth-round pick by adding a quarterback that probably shouldn't have been available.
With Sanders in tow, he'll have an opportunity to compete for the starting job with 41-year-old veteran Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie, Gabriel.
If he's able to realize his full potential and somehow win the role, Cleveland could wind up with the steal of the 2025 draft.
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