The Cleveland Browns made sure to shake up the third day of this year's NFL draft in a big way with their pickup of Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at pick 144 after the quarterback prospect endured one of the wildest draft falls in league history.
Sanders does have a few concerns to note as a prospect, whether it be on or off the field, but considering he entered this year's draft draft as a projected first rounder to then become a dart throw in the fifth-round, it was nothing short of an unexpected outcome for one of the more polarizing names within this year's class, and inevitably a compelling addition into the Browns quarterback room.
However, while the Browns decided to be the team to pull the trigger on Sanders after all, some seemingly still view the pick as a bit questionable in the grand scheme of their incoming group of prospects.
CBS Sports' Josh Edwards is the latest to have concerns on the Browns' selection of Sanders, calling Cleveland's fifth-rounder their most questionable pick of their entire class.
"Sanders was great value in the fifth round, but the vision does not make sense," Edwards wrote. "Cleveland traded out of the opportunity to select Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in exchange for a future first-round pick. The thought is that the organization will be looking to draft its quarterback of the future next year. The team ideally would have conviction on both rookie quarterbacks, including Dillon Gabriel, before potentially bringing in another young quarterback next April. It would be a weird situation to bring a first-round pick into. Plus, how would training camp repetitions be divvied up? "
For the Browns, the biggest questions revolving around Sanders don't rely on his talent level as a fifth-round selection, but it's primarily based on their outlook at the quarterback position heading into next season, considering there are five names on the roster with a chance to make the final 53-man cut.
Not only that, but the selection of Dillion Gabriel in the third does add another layer of complications to the Sanders pick. It's not unheard of for teams to select two quarterbacks in the same class, but in Cleveland's situation, their ability to land both the Oregon and Colorado passers within the top 150 picks is rather interesting.
Sanders has seen no shortage of questions through the pre-draft process and since he's been selected, and this time is no different. In the end, it'll inevitably come down to how the Browns' rookie performs on the field when his reps come, and if he's able to exceed expectations as a fifth-rounder, the negative chatter on Cleveland's draft moves will soon subside.
Time will tell if Sanders can put the pieces together to defy the narrative, but at the very least, it'll make for one heck of a Browns training camp and preseason to watch unfold.
