BEREA, Ohio Jimmy Haslam, who has been accused of picking Johnny Manziel after listening to a homeless man and forcing the deal for Deshaun Watson, said on Tuesday that he did not call on Shedeur Sanders.
“Listen, we have a good process,” Haslam and Dee Haslam stated in their yearly training camp speech on Tuesday. I would say that’s not going to happen if you simply told me on the way home on Friday night that you were all going to choose Shedeur. However, we spoke with each other early that morning and again later that day. At the end of the day, I believe we had the appropriate people in the conversation. That’s Andrew Berry’s (GM) call. Andrew made the decision to select Shedeur, just as Kevin Stefanski makes the decision about who will start or what play to call. However, that is Andrew’s decision. He called.
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Sanders, who the Browns passed on six times before selecting him in the fifth round out of Colorado, has so far delighted Haslam. In the third round, they also selected quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
I’ll say this about the two quarterbacks entering the game. I’m sure that everyone has an idea of Shedeur, but he has entered the building, put in a lot of effort, kept his head down, and performed his duties as Dillon had, which is not surprising to either of them.
He said he agreed with the trade down from No. 2 to No. 5 that resulted in the acquisition of defensive tackle Mason Graham, two rookie running backs, including Dylan Sampson, and a first-round pick the following season.
“Those are difficult choices,” Haslam stated. Listen, I believe Travis Hunter will succeed because he is a unique football player who can play both ways. He is also a wonderful child—not a good one, but a wonderful one. We were locked in on that, but when the chance arose, you had to go back three spots. We believed there were some excellent players, and we believe we have a great one in Mason. In addition, we felt that having a number one pick the following year and nearly getting a first round pick for the 36 pick was simply too good to refuse. Whether or not we made the proper decision will become clear in time.
While Kenny Pickett is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Sanders is running with the fourth team offense but has been promoted to the third team.
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