Shedeur Sanders was seen by many as a surefire first-round selection in the NFL Draft. Well, that didn't exactly come to fruition. As pick after pick came off the board, the son of Deion "Prime Time" Sanders and former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback continued to wait.
Finally, the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders with the 144th overall pick in the fifth round. Not quite Mr. Irrelevant, but a precipitous fall nonetheless.
And yet, he's not a lock to be the starting QB in Week 1. Let's look at the current betting NFL odds for who will take the Browns' first snap of the 2025 season.
Which QB will take first snap for Browns in 2025?
 Quarterback |
 |
|---|---|
| Kenny Pickett | +100 |
| Shedeur Sanders | +200 |
| Joe Flacco | +450 |
| Dillon Gabriel | +650 |
| Deshaun Watson | +1800 |
Odds as of 4-27-2025.
The Cleveland Browns suddenly have a very crowded quarterback room. Hell, it was getting busy even before the team took Shedeur Sanders in Saturday's portion of the 2025 NFL Draft.
On Friday, the Browns traded Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett, seemingly solidifying their next starting QB. And he's still the favorite, though very tentatively, over Sanders.
The 26-year-old Pickett was the starting QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2022-2023. In 25 games (24 starts), he amassed 4,474 yards and 13 touchdown passes to go with 13 interceptions. Not exactly awe-inspiring numbers.
The Steelers moved on, trading Pickett to the Eagles ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. Pickett played in five games for the Eagles, making one start in place of Jalen Hurts. For now, it looks like he might get the first crack at the helm in Cleveland, but Sanders isn't even the only one breathing down his neck.
The Browns signed veteran Joe Flacco to a one-year contract a couple of weeks before the draft. With Cleveland coming off a brutal 3-14 season and a tumultuous few seasons in the Deshaun Watson era — he's still on the roster by the way, as evidenced by his long odds above — and Flacco made sense if the Browns wanted a seasoned arm to take a younger QB under his wing.
That younger QB might not even be Sanders!
The Browns selected Oregon Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel with a third-round pick on Friday night. The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year is tied for the most passing touchdowns in FBS history with 155 over six college seasons split between three schools.
While Pickett has the shortest odds, he also seems like an odd choice for the chaotic Browns, considering all the other moves they've made. The Pickett acquisition made little sense at the time, was even more confusing after Cleveland picked Gabriel, and is now utterly bewildering with Sanders in the fold.
Maybe they cut Flacco or trade Pickett (if they can find a taker). However, it ultimately depends on which young QB they envision as the future leader in Cleveland. Perhaps the locker room has already made the call:
@ShedeurSanders Time to Be Legendary! Let’s do it!🔥
— Denzel Ward (@denzelward) April 26, 2025
