Sportsnaut
A total of 143 players were selected ahead of Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft before the Cleveland Browns ended the former Colorado quarterback’s draft weekend slide in the fifth round. Much has been said about Sanders’ draft journey, from his pre-draft projections to be a first or second-round pick, to his apparently strong work ethic from the moment he arrived in Cleveland.
In the aftermath that has followed, Sanders has both drawn heavy praise and been criticized along the way. In other words, he’s become one of the most controversial prospects in the draft class. He’s also becoming increasingly popular.
So much so, that Sanders reportedly has the best jersey sales among all rookies this year so far. Sanders may have lost a large chunk of coin after slipping to the fifth round, but if these jersey sales numbers can maintain their current pace, Sanders could easily earn all that money back.
Still, it’s pretty crazy for Sanders to rank ahead of even the No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who’s widely expected to kick off the Tennessee Titans’ season as their starting quarterback. Sanders reportedly may not even make the Browns’ roster.
Travis Hunter ranked second, Cam Ward came in third, Ashton Jeanty fourth, and Abdul Carter fifth. Will that order remain the same by the time the season ends? That will depend entirely on their production, and Sanders has his work cut out for him, needing to overtake Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel.
Related: Shedeur Sanders: My story will be similar to Tom Brady’s
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