Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is proving to be one of the most popular fifth-round NFL draft picks in history, and the league is leaning into the hype.
On Monday morning, the NFL official social media account reacted to a post that Sanders made on Sunday night following the conclusion of Browns rookie minicamp, which took place from Friday to Sunday.
The No. 144 overall pick out of the Colorado Buffaloes program run by his dad, Deion Sanders, Shedeur entered minicamp under the spotlight as one of two quarterbacks drafted by the Browns.
He was selected two rounds after Oregon grad Dillon Gabriel, and the two got their first chance to impress at practice alongside the Browns' other five draft picks (and a total of 56 invitees) over the weekend.
Dillon Gabriel Shedeur Sanders
Cleveland Browns rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
© Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After wrapping up minicamp, Sanders thanked his teammates and highlighted the "great relationships" they built over the three days together.
To start the week, the NFL chose to highlight Sanders on its official Instagram account.
"Rookie Camp ✅" said the caption of the post, which included the message and photos used in Sanders' X post, plus a few more photos from the weekend.
From Sanders' first practice on Friday until Monday morning, the NFL made six posts about him, compared to five for the Tennesee Titans' No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Cam Ward.
In the same timeframe, the league's account posted four times about undrafted Tampa Bay Buccaneers signee Shilo Sanders, Shedeur's brother.
The hype is reflected in fan spending. Before he even picked out his jersey number, the Browns quarterback had the third highest-selling jersey among 2025 draft picks, trailing only Ward and his former Colorado teammate Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The popularity of the Sanders brothers is no surprise given their father's status within the league. "Prime Time" had a Hall of Fame pro career that included Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s.