Shedeur Sanders expressed gratitude for being picked by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, despite initial expectations of being selected in the first round. Sanders emphasized his focus on the positive aspects of his journey and his commitment to proving himself as a valuable asset to the Browns. The Browns' General Manager, Andrew Berry, highlighted Sanders' accuracy and productive college career, explaining that selecting him was based on the principle of choosing the best player available. Sanders also attributed his selection to a successful pre-draft interview process with the Browns, dismissing external opinions as irrelevant. His primary goal now is to demonstrate to the team leadership that their decision to draft him was the right choice.

Shedeur Sanders was selected as the 144th overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, a slide from his initial projection as a first-round pick.

Despite being passed over multiple times, Sanders maintained a positive outlook, expressing gratitude for the opportunity and focusing on his role as a quarterback.

Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry praised Sanders for his accuracy, ability to play from the pocket, and his successful college career, noting that his availability in the fifth round was unexpected.

Sanders attributed his selection to a strong pre-draft interview process with the Browns and stated that his focus is solely on contributing to the team, disregarding external opinions.

He is determined to validate the confidence that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have in him by proving himself as a valuable draft pick.

The Browns' decision to draft Sanders was not initially planned, but they adhered to their strategy of selecting the best player available, which led to adding him to the team's quarterback competition.

Sanders' main objective is to prove that his selection was a smart decision, aiming to enhance the team's performance and justify the faith placed in him by the organization.

Shedeur Sanders doesn't want to focus on the negative.

That was the former Colorado QB's main message when he spoke with local reporters following the NFL Draft.

Sanders slid to the fifth round and the No. 144 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns after being expected to go in the first round.

"I would say I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity throughout everything," Sanders told ESPN. "I don't ever focus on the negative or even think about the negative because the positive happened so fast and it's a change of emotions. For me, it was just playing quarterback. That's what it's about. You can't be up, too low or anything. You got to be able to celebrate. And when we score a touchdown, we celebrate for a little bit. Now, it's back to, time to work, it's time to go."

The Browns passed on Sanders multiple times before taking him. They even selected Dillon Gabriel, another quarterback, before Sanders.

But by the time pick 144 was up and Sanders was still there, the Browns had to try it.

"We talk oftentimes about quarterback being the most important position in the sport," GM Andrew Berry told ESPN. "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. And we felt like it wasn't necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value. We didn't necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round. So, we love adding competition to every position room and adding him to compete with guys that are already in there, we felt like that was the appropriate thing to do."

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Sanders was asked about his pre-draft interviews, and he gave a straightforward answer.

"I think what happened was I had a great interview and great process with the Browns and that's why they were able to pick me," Sanders said. "So, anything outside the organization is really a nonfactor to me now because this is my focus and this is where my mind is, is doing everything I can to make this team better. So, everything outside of that, the opinions don't really matter."

Now, Sanders wants to prove himself, and he wants to prove the Browns right.

"The main thing I'm just proving," Sanders said, "I'm just proving Coach Stefanski and Mr. Berry that they're right, that they're right about picking me. That I'm a good decision, that I'm a good draft pick for them."

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