It wasn’t supposed to go like this for Shedeur Sanders.
Coming off a college career packed with attention, Sanders slid all the way to the 5th round in the 2025 NFL Draft—landing with the Cleveland Browns at pick No. 144. For many Colorado fans, the shock of his fall was still settling in. But now, ESPN’s latest prediction about the 2026 NFL Draft is adding salt to the wound—and it paints a pretty bleak picture for Sanders' NFL future.
According to ESPN's way-too-early 2026 mock draft, the Browns are projected to trade up for the No. 1 overall pick to select Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. That sentence alone is enough to give Buffs fans pause. Why would the same team that just drafted Sanders — and Dillon Gabriel for that matter — be desperate enough to go all the way to the top of the next draft to get another quarterback?
Well, let’s call it what it is: ESPN doesn’t believe the Browns—or the league—have seen anything that suggests Shedeur Sanders is the long-term answer in Cleveland, and they likely don't believe he has the patience to be developed, either.
A Franchise Already Looking Ahead?
There are two ways to read this. One, Klubnik is ascending up draft boards because he's a "can't miss talent,"and the Browns simply see him as too good to pass up. But the more realistic read—especially from the outside looking in—is that Sanders hasn’t shown enough to inspire confidence, even before his workouts begin.
Even before the draft, there were concerns about how Sanders approached the process. Reports surfaced that he treated it more like a college recruitment than a serious job interview. One general manager reportedly said Shedeur gave the impression that NFL teams needed to sell themselves to him. That’s not the mindset NFL execs want from a quarterback, especially one who wasn’t expected to be a first-rounder to begin with.
Add in the criticism around his whiteboard sessions, the questions about his preparation, and the fact that he didn’t work with an experienced agent, and it becomes easier to understand why teams passed. But understanding it doesn’t make it any easier for Buffs fans — who just celebrated retiring his jersey — to stomach.
And if ESPN’s prediction ends up being right, it’ll mean the Browns—after less than one full year—decided to cut bait. That’s not just a missed opportunity. That’s a career that barely got started before the door slammed shut.