Sheduer Sanders had a disastrous draft slide in the 2025 NFL Draft, going from a potential first round selection to a fifth round flier. Many analysts and executives attribute Sanders' slide to, among other reasons, his pre-draft interviews and antics.
Sanders is a high-profile prospect on account of being the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who was also his coach at Colorado. Sanders has also had a number of controversial moments with the press during his Colorado tenure.
When asked what specific elements the Browns want to challenge Sanders with, general manager Andrew Berry wanted to focus on their rookie class as a whole.
“I’d say it’s less about challenging him specifically and more about our rookies in general,” Berry said. “They’ve all got to come up the learning curve quickly. They’re in a new system, they’re in a new environment, they’re learning new skills kind of on the job. And Kevin’s message to them last night during the first team meeting was, hey, your focus is — I’m going to sound like a broken record here — but it’s to make the team, nobody here has made the team yet. So it’s making the team. And then after that, it’s earning a role. That’s the same thing for Shedeur.”
Sanders was asked at minicamp on Saturday if he'll considering trying to purchase No. 2 from Browns wide receiver DeAndre Carter.
"I’m not tryna buy anything," Sanders told reporters. "My signing bonus ain’t that high right now."
Sanders, as a fifth-round pick is set to earn an estimated $4.6 million over his four-year rookie deal, nearly 1/10th of what the top picks in the draft will make.
Sanders' financial situation is far from dire, however. Sanders reportedly earned over $6.5 million in NIL deals in college, and comes from an upper-class family.
"I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity," Sanders said. "I don't ever focus on the negative or even think about the negative. I've just got to prove and show what I'm capable of. What fuels me is my purpose in life and understanding the route that we're going to have to take. Understanding that I was able to get an opportunity when a lot of people didn't want to give me an opportunity. So that's what I'm truly thankful for."