Browns Pick Shedeur Sanders After Long Wait: An Ambivalent Reception Leads to Speculation

After the Browns finally selected quarterback Shedeur Sanders, ending his lengthy drop to the 144th pick, the mood in the draft room seemed less than jubilant. General Manager Andrew Berry appeared anything but ecstatic; not exactly unhappy, but clearly not thrilled. Coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t look much more enthusiastic.

Both addressed their reserved reactions in a press conference that followed the pick.

“Yeah, I think we’re probably just tired from the weekend,” Berry explained to reporters.

“Those clips, it’s not timed up to exactly the right time so I wouldn’t — don’t read too much into that,” Stefanski added.

Nevertheless, speculation is inevitable.

Despite potential timing issues with the ESPN broadcast—whether it was synced with the moment of selection, its announcement, or even later (everyone was seen clapping, after all)—genuine excitement would typically persist longer than shown.

For now, this doesn’t change what’s ahead. The Browns now have two rookie quarterbacks—Sanders and Dillon Gabriel—alongside seasoned pros Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Upcoming decisions loom.

At the moment, it’s clear Sanders was chosen for the value he represented at pick No. 144. How things unfold remains to be witnessed. It has the potential to be quite a show, perhaps even making the Browns an ideal candidate for ‘Hard Knocks.’