CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 Ever hear of NFL quarterback Randy Hedberg?<\/p>\n
Didn\u2019t think so. But if Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders can make the quantum leap from the back of the depth chart to QB1 to start on opening day, he\u2019ll forever be linked with the obscure signal-caller. <\/p>\n
The Browns\u2019 fifth-round pick out of Colorado, Sanders would become just the second quarterback selected in the fifth round or later of the NFL Draft since the 1970 merger to start Week 1. <\/p>\n
The only other one was Hedberg, an eighth-round pick of the Bucs in 1977, Elias Sports Bureau confirmed for cleveland.com. Hedberg lost to the Eagles, 13-3, in the opener that year, and went 0-4 in his seven appearances. <\/p>\n
Hedberg spent the 1978 season on injured reserve and was traded to the Raiders in 1979. He also spent time with the Packers in 1980, but didn\u2019t see any regular season action after his challenging rookie year. <\/p>\n
Sanders\u2019 fans might want to close their eyes for Hedberg\u2019s stat line: He completed 25 of 90 attempts (27.8%) for 244 yards, with zero touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 0.0 passer rating. <\/p>\n
But Hedberg, who retired in January after 45 years in coaching, can\u2019t be compared to Sanders, who was projected by many draft experts to be a first-round pick, possibly as high as No. 2 to the Browns, before the worst freefall for a quarterback in NFL history to the fifth round, where the Browns traded their final two picks to move up to 144 and prevent him from possibly going undrafted.<\/p>\n
In addition to joining Hedberg, who coached Carson Wentz and Trey Lance at North Dakota State \u2014 second and third overall picks in the draft, respectively \u2014 on that short list, Sanders would also be mentioned in the same breath as Cowboys 2016 fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, the only quarterback drafted in rounds 4-7 to his start his team\u2019s opener in the last 15 seasons. <\/p>\n
Fortunately for Prescott, he fared a lot better than Hedberg, leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and NFC East title as a rookie, throwing 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions for a 104.9 rating. He made the first of his three Pro Bowls that year and earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. <\/p>\n
Heading into his 10th season with the Cowboys, Prescott last year signed a blockbuster extension worth $60 million a year, making him the highest paid player in the NFL, and the only quarterback in the $60 million a year club. <\/p>\n
Sanders, who lost more than $40 million in his rookie contract in the tumble from the first round to the fifth, can bask in the knowledge that the climb to the top is entirely possible.<\/p>\n
He can also cite San Francisco\u2019s Brock Purdy, \u201cMr. Irrelevant,\u201d as the draft\u2019s final pick in 2022, and sixth-rounder Tom Brady as two quarterbacks who overcame their late-round draft status. <\/p>\n
Purdy, who went 5-0 as a rookie, went on to the lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl after the 2023 season, where they lost to the Chiefs. He also made the Pro Bowl, and signed a blockbuster $53 million a year contract in May. Brady, the greatest of all time, won seven Super Bowls. <\/p>\n
As for Sanders, he\u2019ll definitely make the Browns\u2019 roster this season, but he has a steep climb to the starting job, with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, the Browns\u2019 third-round pick, all in his way. <\/p>\n
But after a relatively slow start in spring practices, Sanders came on strong in the final week of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp to keep himself in the conversation for the starting job.<\/p>\n
With an excellent showing from the snap to the end of the play, Sanders earned more quality reps in training camp, which begins in late July. That\u2019s when he\u2019ll get his first reps with the starters, and more work in 11-on-11s. He\u2019ll need to improve his pre-snap process to have a chance, but he has the high football acumen and work ethic to narrow the gap quickly. <\/p>\n
Ultimately, the Browns will probably end up starting one of the veterans, either Flacco or Pickens, in Week 1, but Sanders still has a chance to make like Hedberg, and hopefully for him, fare much better if he does.<\/p>\n