The Cleveland Browns drafted former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. There was a large conversation about which team would select Sanders and when he would be drafted.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke on the “New Heights” podcast about Sanders's draft fall. He and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. With the Browns selecting Sanders, the star tight end gave his views on the pick.
“God, I love this for Cleveland. I really do, man. The Browns fan deep down in my heart is just like, ‘f**k yeah.’ You get a swag champ that works his s** off that has something to prove,” Kelce said.
Kelce is no stranger to knowing top quarterbacks, playing with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. While Sanders still has to prove himself in the NFL, from a player's perspective, Kelce is a big fan of the incoming rookie.
“Not that he didn’t before, but you know, he’s got that chip on his shoulder I’m sure because of how much he’s dropped,” Kelce continued.
Heading into the NFL Draft, Sanders was expected to be a first-round pick. In the couple of weeks leading up he was expected to fall to the end of the first round, but going to day three was a surprise.
The former Eagles center added to his brothers’ comments, agreeing that Sanders has even more motivation heading into his NFL career.
“If you’re at all a self-confident person who believes in themselves and you’re touted by a lot of people and you had the college career that he had, how could you not be upset that you fell out of, fell this far? You know what I mean? Still should be happy you’re in the NFL, but I mean there’s a lot of quarterbacks that are taken above him,” Jason Kelce said.
Sanders spent two seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes after transferring from Jackson State. Sanders, along with his father, Colorado coach Deion Sanders, and former receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, helped turn a one-win team into a winning program.
Sanders finished the 2024 season with 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. He threw just 10 interceptions and had a 74.0 completion percentage. The Buffaloes finished the season with a 9-4 record, going 7-2 in Big 12 conference play.
Ahead of the draft and throughout the weekends, there were anonymous reports that Sanders was not prepared for private meetings and workouts and that his attitude was off-putting. Both Kelce brothers disliked the anonymous reports and believed that whoever said the information should reveal who they were and that there is no validity in anonymous reports.
“From what I saw on film I thought he was a way higher pick and I think that’s all that should matter and I mean it doesn’t seem like he’s a terrible person, you know. He seems like he’s just a motivated football player,” the Chiefs tight end said.
Sanders is heading into a crowded quarterback room featuring veteran Joe Flacco, returning Browns’ player Deshaun Watson, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, and 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. Sanders has gone through the Browns' rookie minicamp and will continue to compete to move up on Cleveland’s depth chart.
