The 2025 NFL Draft could go down as one of the most important in Cleveland Browns history. While we’ve only seen one year of returns from their draftees, there are a lot of players to be excited about that could be a part of this team’s core for a long time.
Carson Schwesinger recently won Defensive Rookie of the Year, which was a great individual achievement, but so many others on the team performed well in their first season.
Shedeur Sanders’ rookie season had its ups and downs, which was similar to how the draft played out for him. Some expected Sanders to be picked as high as the first round, but as we now know, he slid to the Browns in the fifth.
This slide cost Sanders tens of millions of dollars in salary money, which he was recently asked about in an interview. Many people might respond negatively to losing out on this much money, especially since he was a highly-touted prospect to some, but Sanders is trying to make the most of it.
“If you’ve been operating regular life and make decisions that are fine with you, then nothing’s going to change. So that’s why I’m thankful, why I’m blessed,” Sanders said.
Powerful: Browns star QB Shedeur Sanders speaks on losing out on $40 million after getting drafted in the 5th round.
“I’m thankful, and I’m blessed, nothing changed for me.”
Shedeur is still getting to the bag with his sponsors.pic.twitter.com/ZGwb8RLqdn
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 8, 2026
In Sanders’ eyes, he was already content with his financial situation, so losing out on this amount of money didn’t affect him the way the general public might have thought. Plus, as Dov Kleiman pointed out on X, Sanders has plenty of endorsement deals in his back pocket, so he has other streams of revenue besides his NFL paychecks.
Perhaps not being a top pick in the draft is going to be a net positive for Sanders’ NFL career. He has less pressure as a fifth-rounder, as first-round picks are expected to not only pan out, but to save franchises from years of frustration at the position.
It remains to be seen if Sanders will provide that level of quarterback play for the Browns, but if he gets more opportunities in 2026 and beyond, there’s no telling what he’ll be able to accomplish in this league.
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