Dawgs By Nature
There have been notable players selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, including Dick LeBeau, Mike Webster, Kevin Greene, and Zach Thomas, all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
More recent examples include Richard Sherman, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, and George Kittle.
Then there is quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whom the Cleveland Browns selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Much to the chagrin of his legion of fans, Sanders’ pro career has gotten off to a slow start. The bad habits from his college days were on full display during the final game of the preseason, and Sanders opened the regular season as Cleveland’s third-string quarterback, which is a normal spot for a quarterback selected late on the third day of the draft.
While Sanders’ on-field success has been limited, the situation off the field is far different.
Shortly after the NFL Draft, Sanders’ jersey was the No. 1 seller among all draft picks, according to a story at the time from Darren Rovell at cllct.com. That was before anyone even knew what uniform number Sanders would wear with the Browns.
Fast forward to today, and it turns out that Sanders is not only outselling his fellow rookies, but he actually is No. 5 among all NFL players in jersey sales, according to the NFL Players Association. Sanders is only behind Saquon Barkley (No. 1) and Jalen Hurts (No. 2) of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jayden Daniels (No. 3) of the Washington Commanders, and Josh Allen (No. 4) of the Buffalo Bills.
It was clear from the moment the Browns selected Sanders that his off-field popularity was huge, and his jersey sales are a reflection of his growing fan base.
How long those fans will have to wait to actually see Sanders in that uniform on the field in a meaningful game remains to be seen.
