Shedeur Sanders Receives Warm Welcome From Cleveland Stars After Browns Scoop Him During Draft

Things started looking up for Shedeur Sanders during day three of the 2025 NFL Draft.

After falling to round five in the three-day process, the Cleveland Browns selected the 23-year-old with the 144th overall pick.

The Browns' selection comes days after the NFL and its owners faced pushback and criticism from viewers (and even the President of the United States) over what appeared to be a collective refusal to select Sanders during an earlier round.

However, after seeing Shedeur Sanders' name taken off the draft board, social media erupted with excitement, and a few Cleveland athletes chimed in to send the new Midwesterner some well wishes, too.

Almost immediately following the news that the Browns picked up Sanders, Denzel Ward, a cornerback drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, shared his excitement about the news with the former Colorado Buffaloes player online.

"@ShedeurSanders [It's] Time to Be Legendary! Let's do it!" he wrote on his X account.

Another Cleveland athlete who offered Sanders support was the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson, who readers may also recognize as Khloé Kardashian's ex-boyfriend.

"Welcome to the city!" he also wrote on X. "This city and these fans will embrace you like no other. #LEGENDARY."

For those who may be unfamiliar, Sanders uses the word "legendary" as his personal motto.

According to him, reciting the word helps "keep me on track."

"That keeps me going and makes me be the best of the best. You gotta be legendary all the way across the board. On the field, off the field, in the classroom, in the community—with the cars. You just gotta be legendary," he said.

Ward and Thompson weren't the only people to shower Sanders with love, though.

Throughout the draft process, everyone watching, from pundits to reporters to casual viewers, had something to say about Sanders' draft stock falling.

So, naturally, when the Browns made their selection, Sanders' name skyrocketed to the top of the trending topics list.

One user shared words of encouragement, including a Bible verse that read "the last" would "be first," and another user noted how Tom Brady was selected 199th overall during the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

"He good," they wrote.

In a Truth Social post, President Trump also expressed his disappointment that Sanders fell from the first round of the NFL Draft.

“What is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?” Trump wrote before praising Sanders and his father for their ability on the field.

“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. Good luck, Shedeur, and say hello to your wonderful father," he finished.

His defense of the young athlete certainly surprised many, with one user writing, "Shedeur getting stamped by Trump got me in shambles because now you know for a fact that was some nasty work."

Sanders shared a carousel of images on his Instagram after getting that coveted call from the Browns' front office.

"Thank you @clevelandbrowns for an OPPORTUNITY!!!!!" he captioned the images. "THANK YOU GOD."

The photos showcase him, his brother, Shilo Sanders, and the rest of their crew dancing with smiles on their faces after they received the big news.

In early April 2025, Sanders and his former teammate, Travis Hunter, had their jerseys retired from Colorado, where they played two seasons and made waves.

Sanders reflected on the emotional moment online, writing, "Thank you @cubuffs family for the love and support."

"It was perfect timing," he continued. "#legendary."