Andrew Berry on taking a second QB in Shedeur Sanders: 'We do believe in best player available'

There weren’t many NFL Draft surprises bigger than Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders sliding to the fifth round. At the same time, it was also a surprise to see that it was the Cleveland Browns who selected him, having already taken quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

Following the NFL Draft, Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry explained that it came down to picking the best available player. So, while the Browns may not have expected to take him in that spot, they felt the value was too much to overlook in the fifth round.

“Shedeur, we talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Andrew Berry said. “We obviously spent a lot of time with Shedeur throughout the process. He’s highly accurate, can play well from the pocket, very productive college career. We felt like it wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but as we talked about, we do believe in best player available. We do believe in positional value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round.”

Shedeur Sanders is now the fifth quarterback on the Browns roster. That includes Deshaun Watson, who has struggled to live up to the five-year and $230 million deal he signed in 2022. Then, Veteran Joe Flacco and former first round pick Kenny Pickett also have starting NFL experience in the quarterback room.

“So, we love adding competition to every position room,” Berry said. “And adding him to compete with the guys that are already in there. We felt that that was the appropriate thing to do.”

In 2024 with Colorado, Shedeur Sanders put up massive numbers. He completed 74 percent of his passes for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Those numbers, combined with what he was able to put on film, had many analysts excited about Sanders. That included Mel Kiper Jr. who had him as the top-rated quarterback in the NFL Draft.

“You won’t find a tougher or more resilient quarterback prospect than Sanders, who took 99 sacks over the past two seasons but still put up really strong numbers,” Kiper wrote. “I’m always impressed watching him throw on the move, rolling either left or right. He is very accurate in those spots and has the arm to drive the ball. When his mechanics and footwork are sound, he can pick apart a defense. And while he’s not necessarily a major rushing threat, he can keep the chains moving with his legs when there is an opening.”

Obviously, there was a difference of opinion on Sanders between NFL personnel and analysts like Kiper. However, the end result is the same. Sanders is now an NFL quarterback and will have the opportunity to compete for a starting job in Cleveland. He’ll have just as much opportunity as anyone else to win that job and, if he does that, then he can have a long and successful career.