NFL-Sanders 'unprecedented' draft slide captivates pundits, Ward shines as first pick

By Amy Tennery

(Reuters) - Quarterback Shedeur Sanders' unexpected slide into the fifth round of the NFL Draft shocked experts and polarized fans on Saturday, as the Cleveland Browns chose him with the 144th pick to join four others in the competition to be their play caller.

The league's biggest off-season event enthralled fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest city in the NFL, which played host to one of the biggest shocks in the draft's history. Sanders, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, had been considered a top prospect.

"I told you the lord works in mysterious ways," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told Sanders, a day after the Browns had already taken another rookie quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, in the third round.

"It's an opportunity, we're going to get to work together."

The roller-coaster ride gave added attention to the later rounds of the draft, when many fans often check out. Even U.S. President Donald Trump logged on to social media before Friday's picks were announced to express his shock.

Pundits spent Saturday dissecting what could have led to the dramatic slide for a player many had once believed would go in the first round, after reports of poor combine interviews and questions over his famous father's influence.

The senior Sanders coached Shedeur in Colorado the last two seasons.

ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter called the draft tumble "unprecedented," while noting the immense competition that Sanders will face in Cleveland, joining quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson, who is injured, along with Gabriel.

"The Cleveland Browns, who have had one of the messiest, ugliest quarterback situations in the league for years are taking a whole group of quarterbacks and putting them together," Schefter said on the draft broadcast.

"The storylines are just beginning because all of these quarterbacks are not going to be happy staying in Cleveland."

'ULTIMATE GOAL'

It was a wild twist on a draft that started out as expected, with Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward going first overall to the Tennessee Titans, capping his unlikely rise from an unranked high school athlete to the most sought-after rookie talent.

Ward said fans can expect a player who is willing to do "anything to put the team and themselves in situations to win," as he hopes to turn the franchise around after three straight losing seasons.

"The ultimate goal is to win championships," he said, "Whether that's this year, next year or down the road."

Heisman winner Travis Hunter, an exciting two-way player with extraordinary athleticism, went second to the Jacksonville Jaguars after the team traded up to get the pick from the Browns. The New York Giants took defensive end Abdul Carter third.

Saturday capped the three-day event for Green Bay, a town of just 105,000, that saw nearly double that many people in attendance on the first night alone, according to ESPN.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)