Shedeur Sanders had one of the most disastrous draft days ever seen from a projected first rounder, but are his chances of finding a starting role come opening week dwindling?

The erstwhile Colorado quarterback is locked in a four-way battle for the starting job in Cleveland, and it seems the possibility of him making any kind of noise on the field has disappeared. But how has he gone from one of the most anticipated rookies of his draft class to a QB4 on the Browns’ depth chart?

Shedeur, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was projected to be drafted in the first round in Green Bay, but quickly found himself falling out of not just the first round but the first day of the 2025 NFL draft. After finally being taken by the Browns in the fourth round, Sanders said that he had to ’go in there with a different mindset and lead the programme in whatever role I gotta be until it’s my time’, gesturing to the idea that he would put the events of the previous day behind him.

Instead , the rookie seems to have let the negative publicity get to him. Since the draft in April, Sanders has been cited twice for speeding, with sources stating that he was found driving over 100 mph through Ohio. These lapses have raised concerns around the college star, and seem to prove why his draft stock may have fallen so far, so fast.

There is a lot of speculation as to what caused the historic draft slide but, apart from the small, and correctable, problem of him hanging onto the ball too long, it mostly seems to come down to his attitude, and readiness, for the NFL. Franchises will not want swarms of negative media surrounding any of their players, especially ones who are not in any kind of playing position. As of now, Sanders seems to only be good for causing controversy within the Browns quarterback room.

So why did the Browns draft him, after already taking Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the draft the day before? Despite his downsides, Sanders is still a quarterback with a high ceiling. It is undeniable that he had a good final season at Colorado, and the young quarterback has experienced unprotected quarterback play, after taking 42 sacks in 2024. He is also a popular, and somewhat charismatic, character, despite his apparent problems during pre-draft interviews (which may have been another reason for his draft stock dropping). The Browns have experienced many problems at the quarterback position, far beyond resorting to using seven different players at the position for at least one game over the last two seasons. Quarterback is, obviously, the most important position in football, so the Browns obviously saw a enough upside and ceiling to not only draft Sanders, but to trade up with the Seattle Seahawks, who received two later picks from the deal .

Aside from his off-the-field controversy, Sanders is also in a predicament at Cleveland’s training camp, where he is shooting it out with fellow rookie Gabriel, as well as veteran Joe Flacco and ex-Eagles backup Kenny Pickett. Despite not currently finding himself on the depth chart for the Browns — he is behind the aforementioned quarterbacks as well as Deshaun Watson, who is questionable for the 2025 season — Sanders has impressed when compared to the other QBs, and has even been predicted by some to begin the season as starter. This may be hard to do, considering the fact that all three other healthy quarterbacks all took reps in OTAs.

As well as the two rookies in the Browns quarterback room, the team has three veterans in Flacco, Watson and Pickett, all wanting a piece of the action, but also capable of mentoring the youngsters. Watson, notably given his own controversial career, told The New York Post, that he is ‘only too happy’ to lead the rookies and take them ’under his wing’, so can this veteran presence calm Sanders down before the season gets underway and help him find his place within the team’s roster. Shedeur seemingly needs some kind of assistance to stop his professional career derailing further than it already has. Fans will be eager to follow NFL scores to see how Sanders performs early in the season.