Browns Could ‘Ruin’ Shedeur Sanders: Mel Kiper Jr.
It was no secret at last April’s NFL draft that ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. was incensed about the way the league treated eventual Browns fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders. After all, Sanders was projected to be a first-round pick, but after supposedly interviewing poorly at the NFL Combine, teams began wiping him off their draft boards.
The free-fall was arguably the worst in the history of the NFL draft, and Kiper repeatedly backed Sanders and denigrated NFL teams for passing on him.
Fast-forward six months and Kiper is still backing Sanders, even as the Browns keep sticking with third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel as the team’s starter.
Speaking on ESPN’s “First Draft” podcast this week, Kiper said, “Figure out Dillon Gabriel, that was Kevin Stefanski’s guy. Shedeur Sanders, Andrew Berry brought in because he was there in the fifth round, see what happens. … To me, let’s see how it plays out the rest of the year. I hope Shedeur has a chance. Even if he gets in there, he might struggle, does that mean he stinks? Does that mean he was overrated? No.”
Shedeur Sanders Was the Draft’s No. 1 QB One Year Ago
Kiper pointed out that long before Sanders was with the Browns, he starred at Colorado and was ranked by many as the top quarterback coming out in 2025. But he also pointed out that, over time, NFL teams reveal that they aren’t all that smart about drafting and developing quarterbacks.
That, Kiper said (and Browns fans know as well as anybody), is especially true of Cleveland’s NFL contingent.
“I don’t care what the league says,” Kiper said. “The league doesn’t speak about quarterbacks, they don’t know any more than you or I do about quarterbacks, really. Everybody’s clueless about quarterbacks including the National Football League geniuses, OK? They don’t know. Even when they have them, they don’t know. (The Browns) had Baker Mayfield, they let him go. …
“Didn’t nine executives have (Shedeur Sanders) going as the No. 1 quarterback at this same time last year? What happened? Nothing happened on the field. All the sudden, ‘We’re washing our hands of Shedeur Sanders. We don’t want him, we don’t want him, we don’t want him.’ To me, the organizations ruin players. They ruin quarterbacks.”
Browns Quarterback History Is Not Great
Again, when Kiper refers to “organizations” he means the Browns, who picked Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma with the No. 1 pick in 2018 and went 11-5 with him in 2020. But Cleveland dumped him the following year, and Mayfield has gone on to be a two-time Pro Bowler and now an MVP candidate in Tampa Bay.
“This is the one that has you scratching your head. You had Baker, Baker was winning. Baker almost had you in a Super Bowl. To me, Baker should be in Cleveland. …” Kiper said.
“When Cleveland had Baker Mayfield, they hadn’t had any success, they hadn’t won anything—1999, no consistency at quarterback, 15 times since the AFC North came in 2002, they finished in last place. Fifteen times, last place. One playoff win since 1999.”
Finally healthy, is the time now for Lightning prospect Jack Finley?
Jack Finley can smile, and even show a bit of levity, now that he’s on the other side of injuries that have slowed his hockey career.
The 23-year-old center already has been through a lot, including multiple surgeries that have forced him into the trainer’s room more than onto the ice during an important time in his development.
He’s learned a lot.
“That I’ve got a bad build,” Finley said jokingly after Sunday’s Lightning training camp practice.
Here’s what matters most: Finley is healthy again for the first time in three seasons, and the Lightning might need a big body (6-foot-6, 220 pounds) in the middle like Finley more than ever to shore up the bottom-six forward group with center Nick Paul out for possibly up to five weeks of the season.
The Lightning like where Finley’s at. He’s been mentioned by general manager Julien BriseBois as a player expected to take that next step. Following his 14-goal, 28-point season with AHL Syracuse, the organization rewarded him with a three-year contract in June. The construct of that deal shows the Lightning have plans for him to be an NHL player soon, as he goes from a two-way deal to a one-way contract after this season.
“This summer, I haven’t been rehabbing,” Finley said. “So it’s an opportunity to add layers to my game and add skill, add some pace to my game. It’s been the first summer in a while where I’ve been able to kind of sit back and and reflect on the season and say, ‘OK, going into training camp, going into season, you know, what kind of player do I want to be, what things do I want to add to my game?’ And I think I did that.”
“It’s never easy,” Finley said of the injuries. “I think every surgery, you kind of take something from it. The first couple it’s like the end of the world. And, it’s like, ‘Am I ever going to be healthy?’ And I think the last couple surgeries, I just had the mindset of, it’s an opportunity to learn something, right.
“I’ve learned so much about my body and how to keep myself healthy. And I think that’s an advantage over some other guys who’ve never had that adversity. And then the mental adversity, too, like I’ve personally gone through a lot, all the dark days of rehabbing for seven months in a row. It sucks and never wish (it) upon anyone. But I feel like as a human being, I’ve grown a lot and gotten mentally tougher from it.”
Finley’s 6-6 frame stands out on the ice, even in the Lightning’s main group of regulars. He’s shown he can play physical, go into the corners and battle for the puck, and create a presence at the net front. He doesn’t hesitate to drop the gloves when needed.
Showing that he can be a factor in the corners and in front of the net will be key for Finley, but so far in training camp, it’s become clear that the Lightning want to see if Finley has the speed and pace to be a NHL regular. In his first scrimmage with the main group, he centered a line flanked by quick skaters Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. In Monday’s preseason opener, he saw 16:59 of ice time in the Lightning’s 2-1 road win over Carolina, playing more than three minutes on both the power play and the penalty kill.
“Jack’s one of those kids that’s been in the organization for a while, and what’s unfortunate for him is the injuries he’s had,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “So right when he starts to get going, he’s been hurt. He’s not the first kid that’s happened to him in his career. I always tell them, ‘Well, you got them out of the way. So now you’re going to hopefully have a bunch of healthy years ahead of you.’ ...
“You’re trying putting these guys in position, especially with some of the players who play with some pace, and see if he can keep up. And he’s been doing a great job so far.”
Even though he’s been sidelined a lot, Finley has had his taste of the NHL. He was an emergency callup last season when the Lightning needed a forward to fill in after Brayden Point was late to a morning skate meeting and was sat that night. Finley made his debut on Jan. 14 against the Bruins, skating 8:25 of ice time at TD Garden against a division rival that always has an extra layer of buzz.
“It was the best day of my life,” Finley said. “Honestly, it was, it was an opportunity to kind of bond a little bit more with the guys here. Coming to camp and just kind of sitting on the sidelines, it’s hard to bond and connect with the guys on the team, so to be able to suit up with them and learn all the systems, learn how they play and compete with them, it was the best day ever.
“And honestly, I think it’s helped a lot coming into this camp being a more familiar face for the guys.”
In camp, Finley said he’s able to see what older veteran players like Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh, both in their mid-30s, do to stay healthy and prepare for the long grind of a season.
“They have so much experience, and their bodies changed so much as they’ve gotten older,” Finley said. “And you just watch them, and they’re doing certain things that are unique to them that get their body going. I’m only 23, but I feel like I’ve got an older body now. So I’ve just learned how to get myself ready to compete every day, mentally and physically.
“And now, I’m not going into practices or games in the back of my head thinking like, ‘Is today going to be the day? Am I going to get hurt today?’ So now it’s just getting myself ready and having the confidence to just go out and perform.”
