Nobody wants a celebrity backup quarterback

NFL analyst Colin Cowherd gave a reason why Shedeur Sanders fell in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders was mocked to go in the first round by most draft analysts. Yet, his name wasn’t called on Day 1, and then, surprisingly, he wasn’t picked on Day 2 in Rounds 2 or 3.

Sanders was eventually picked 144th overall in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. It was a major drop, but Cowherd says it’s because teams didn’t want him to be the backup and have all the attention on their backup QB.

“Stories started coming out that he sandbagged certain interviews or was brash. The Intel I was getting on Sanders was shocking,” Cowherd said on The Herd. “He had no self-awareness. So why did he drop? Am I surprised? Shocked?

“Actually, I would have taken him if I were the Steelers. This executive said to me, ‘If he doesn’t go in the first six to eight picks at the top of the second round, then people view him as a backup,’ and I’ll quote it here, ‘I’m not sure how many teams want that circus in the building as a backup.’ Nobody wants a celebrity backup quarterback.”

It’s a fair point by Cowherd, as if Sanders wasn’t going to start, he would bring a lot of attention to the team for a backup quarterback.

There would be plenty of media attention on the starter every time he messed up, pushing for Sanders to start. So, perhaps that did impact Sanders’ draft stock and was a reason why he fell to the fifth round.

Browns ‘excited’ to draft Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns ended Shedeur Sanders’ slide as they selected the quarterback with the 144th overall pick.

However, it came after the team had already picked quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Yet, the Browns felt it was the right spot to add another quarterback and are eager to work with Shedeur.

“We felt like he was a good solid prospect at the most important position.” Browns Executive Vice President and General Manager Andrew Berry said, via the team website. “We view him as a highly accurate pocket passer who does a good job of taking care of the ball…We’re excited to work with him.”

Sanders helped turn around the Colorado Buffaloes’ program as he led them to a bowl game last season. He finished the year throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Shedeur Sanders joins a Browns quarterback room that features Kenny Pickett, Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, and Gabriel.

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alt=”Cole Shelton” height=”72″ width=”72″>

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton