Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been one of the most compelling stories of the 2025 NFL season. The ride has been a rollercoaster for Sanders and the Browns fanbase, but the son of Deion Sanders has earned his second straight start in Week 13.
That has earned him some comparisons to another quarterback who fought ot prove himself, and it paid off in a big way for him.
Dive into PFSN’s FREE Mock Draft Simulator and run a mock by yourself or with your friends!
Is Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Following in the Footsteps of Another NFL Star?
Sanders had all eyes on him when he was still in college thanks to his Hall of Fame father, and that hasn’t changed. After a successful season with Colorado, he was considered a possible first-round pick.
However, Sanders was passed over multiple times before being selected by the Browns in the fifth round, after they’d already chosen Dillon Gabriel in the third.
The Browns are on their third quarterback after benching Joe Flacco and Gabriel before starting Sanders, who is currently 1-0 as a starter.
The Browns take on the San Francisco 49ers for Week 13, and all eyes are on Sanders. On 92.3 The Fan, hosts Jonathan Peterlin and Lance Reisland drew comparisons to Sanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
MORE: Cummings’ 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza Top Board, David Bailey Rises
Mayfield, ironically, was the Browns’ first overall pick in 2018 and the last quarterback to win a playoff game for Cleveland. They squandered Mayfield’s talent and chose to move on from him.
Tampa took a chance on Mayfield in 2023, giving him a one-year, $4 million contract. They felt he proved himself and offered him a three-year, $100 million extension in 2024.
Reislind noted that what sets Sanders apart is his playmaking ability. He said it’s more than stats; it’s about what quarterbacks do with presented opportunities. Sanders does that exceptionally well.
According to the hosts, Sanders is football smart and just needs to find a way to balance what he needs to learn with his playmaking abilities.
Peterlin said it reminds him of a former Browns quarterback, “There’s a lot of Baker Mayfield that I see with Shedeur Sanders in many ways. Not only getting the teammates to be the best versions of themselves, and getting them excited and getting them amped up.
“There’s a lot of Baker Mayfield that I see with Shedeur Sanders…not only getting teammates to be the best versions of themselves, but the idea that you can’t quit on plays when Shedeur’s your QB”
🚨 @JPeterlin and @LanceReisland on the play of the #Browns starting QB https://t.co/q3AYFNm5ZT pic.twitter.com/Xs53rSjq9u
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) November 30, 2025
“Also, the idea that you can’t quit on plays when Shedeur’s your quarterback. You can’t just relent. They’re not going ot do that on a consistent basis with Shedeur because they think the balls going to come to them.”
Like how Sanders converted a 3rd-and-8 to Isaiah Bond for 52 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders, Peterlin said that under Gabriel, it would never have happened. He added that the offensive weapons frequently gave up midfield, assuming the ball wasn’t coming their way.
Sanders has not logged enough time as a starter to earn a PFSN QB Impact metric score, but Gabriel did. In the six games he started, he earned an F grade with a score of 51.5. That makes him 39th out of 40 quarterbacks graded. Only Jake Browning is behind him.
The 3-8 Browns not only have to battle the 49ers on Sunday, but the weather is also expected to be a complicating factor. It is expected to be cold and windy with the possibility of freezing rain or snow flurries. That weather presents a challenge to veteran quarterbacks, but head coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated his trust in Sanders.
