Browns GM Addresses Concerns That Deion Sanders Would Nix Shedeur Draft Pick

The Colorado quarterback has no shortage of suitors.
Shedeur Sanders during the Nuggets' 118–99 win over the Mavericks on Jan. 14, 2025.
Shedeur Sanders during the Nuggets' 118–99 win over the Mavericks on Jan. 14, 2025. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders comes into the NFL draft apparatus with something that many prospects lack in today's atomized world: built-in celebrity.

Thanks to the efforts of his coach and father, Deion Sanders, even the most casual football fans know Shedeur's name. The 2024 season went a long way toward introducing fans to his game as well, as the quarterback finished eighth in the Heisman voting.

With that celebrity has brought consternation on the part of teams, as Deion has obliquely hinted in the past that he will have a say in Shedeur's draft-day destination. However, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Tuesday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile that he does not believe Deion will intervene against Shedeur potentially joining the Browns.

“I don’t anticipate that being a problem,” Berry said via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.

Cleveland holds the second pick in April's NFL draft on the heels of a disappointing 3–14 season—its worst since 2017.

“Shedeur is a really impressive young man,” Berry said. “He’s poised, he’s calm, he’s smart and you can tell that he’s been raised by—quite honestly—a Hall of Fame dad. We’re going to get to know him even more over the course of the spring but he’s really impressive.”


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .