NFL executives, coaches put Shedeur Sanders last in QB rankings in survey: ‘Shouldn’t lose to him’
An anonymous survey of NFL executives and coaches has ranked Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders last among 35 quarterbacks, with one respondent reportedly saying a team "shouldn't lose to him". The ranking comes as Sanders, a rookie in 2025, prepares to compete for the Browns' starting job in training camp, adding fresh scrutiny to his prospects after a debut season that included some promising moments.
Sanders showed flashes of strong play when given the chance to start during his rookie campaign, but this survey result suggests league insiders remain largely unconvinced by his overall performance and potential. The poll places him below all 34 other quarterbacks assessed, intensifying the narrative around Cleveland's ongoing quarterback competition heading into the new season.
- Shedeur Sanders ranked last of 35 QBs in NFL insiders' survey
- One respondent said team "shouldn't lose" to him
- Comes as Browns' 2026 QB battle heats up in camp
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those who find the ranking defensible point to results and process: NFL executives and coaches watch every snap on film, not just highlight-reel moments, and their collective judgement reflects consistent patterns in decision-making, accuracy under pressure, and mechanics that raw stats or occasional flashes of brilliance can obscure. They would argue that rookie quarterbacks are routinely overhyped by media narratives, especially one who entered the league amid unusually intense scrutiny, and that a frank, anonymous assessment protects the integrity of scouting by cutting through hype to focus on what actually translates to winning football at the professional level.
The case against
Those sceptical of the ranking would argue that a single anonymous survey, taken after only a partial rookie season, is an unreliable and potentially unfair basis for judgement, particularly given how few starts Sanders had and the well-documented struggles most young quarterbacks face behind inconsistent offensive lines and coaching setups. They would also note that Sanders showed genuine promise in the chances he did get, that anonymous polls can be coloured by pre-existing narratives or personal opinions about his draft stock and public profile rather than pure on-field evaluation, and that it is far too early to write off a player's long-term potential based on one turbulent debut year.