The rest of the NFL might eventually have to pay for ignoring Shedeur Sanders for so long in the 2025 NFL Draft. The chip on his shoulder after waiting until the fifth round before being selected by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday has to be the size of old-school shoulder pads.

Many had forecast Mr. Sanders as the first quarterback to be taken in the draft. However, his name was not announced until the 144th pick overall in Green Bay, where the draft is headquartered. This is perhaps the biggest draft slide in the history of the modern NFL, raising all kinds of speculation.

For his part, Mr. Sanders’ initial reaction was if he were selected in the first round. He celebrated by dancing with his brother Shilo before jumping into a swimming pool wearing a Browns hat. He posted on X, “Thank you GOD.”

Still, how does a quarterback expected to be drafted in the first round wind up being selected in the fifth?  He was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top quarterback in 2024 after passing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns while completing 74 percent of his passes.

Combine his two years at Jackson State with his two years at Colorado, and Mr. Sanders’ collegiate resume is an incredible 14,327 yards passing and 134 touchdowns.  Yet, he was the sixth quarterback taken in the draft behind Miami’s Cam Ward, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, who was taken by the Browns in the third round.

Even President Trump was perplexed after Mr. Sanders was not drafted in the first round. “What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Mr. Trump posted before the second round began on Friday. “Deion Sanders was a great college football player, and was even greater in the NFL. He’s also a very good coach, streetwise and smart! Therefore, Shedeur, his quarterback son, has PHENOMENAL GENES, and is all set for Greatness. He should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN.”

The answer to why Mr. Sanders was ignored could range from preconceived perceptions to his personality to his skill set.  Some might blame the potential influence of his famous father, Deion Sanders, for teams being wary of drafting his son. The elder Sanders, an NFL Hall of Famer and current coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, is a large presence that attracts a lot of attention.

In the days before the draft, scouts began whispering about the younger Sanders’ character and whether he was dedicated to football. Other scouts questioned his lack of mobility.

The Browns, who traded with the Seattle Seahawks to select Mr. Sanders, were thrilled to get him in the fifth round even though they already drafted Mr. Gabriel with the 94th overall selection.  According to ESPN, a Browns contingent, including general manager Andrew Berry, met with Mr. Sanders at the East-West Shrine Game and the NFL Combine, and had dinner with him the night before his Pro Day workout.

“We felt good with him as a person,” Mr. Berry said. “He works hard, he’s a really good kid, he wants to be great. His teammates loved him at Colorado, and I know he’ll come in here ready to work, ready to try and put his best foot forward in all areas of competition.”

Mr. Sanders isn’t going to Cleveland to be the face of the franchise, which could benefit him in the long run. The Browns’ quarterback room currently consists of Kenny Pickett, acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, veteran journeyman Joe Flacco, and Mr. Gabriel. Deshaun Watson, whose tenure in Cleveland has been a huge disappointment, is expected to miss most of the season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.

Mr. Sanders’ slide was the major topic of the draft. He was the target of a prank call on Saturday.  He set up a private phone number that was given to NFL personnel. Someone claiming to be from the New Orleans Saints called to say they were selecting him with their next pick. It turned out to be a hoax.  “It didn’t really have an impact on me,” Mr. Sanders said, according to a post on X. “I don’t feed into negativity or that stuff.”

Whether the Browns are a good landing spot remains to be seen. Selecting two quarterbacks in a draft is not uncommon. Robert Griffin III, the second overall pick, and Kirk Cousins (a fourth-round choice) were selected in the same draft by Washington in 2012.  Mr. Cousins, currently with Atlanta, went on to have a better career. Mr. Griffin retired after the 2020 season.

“It wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but you do believe in the best player available,” Mr. Berry told reporters in Cleveland. “We do believe in positional value. We love adding competition to every position room.”