“So f***ing lame”: Jason and Travis Kelce call out NFL double standards after Shedeur Sanders dropped to fifth round despite his star talent

The 2025 NFL Draft took an unexpected turn for quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose slide to the fifth round shocked fans and insiders alike. Once predicted as a top-three pick, Sanders was selected at No. 144 overall by the Cleveland Browns — a move that stirred passionate commentary from NFL stars and brothers, Travis and Jason Kelce, on their New Heights podcast.

Travis Kelce, a lifelong Browns supporter at heart, embraced Sanders' new home in Cleveland. “I love this for Cleveland, god I love this for Cleveland,” he said. “You get a swag champ that works his ass off that has something to prove now—not that he didn’t before, but he’s got that chip on his shoulder, I’m sure, because of how much he’s dropped.”

Jason echoed the sentiment, acknowledging that Sanders' descent in the draft rankings could fuel his competitive fire. “If you're at all a self-confident person who believes in themselves… how could you not be upset that you fell this far?” he said. “Still should be happy that you're in the NFL, but there’s a lot of quarterbacks that were taken above him.”

Much of the buzz around Sanders' draft tumble has centered on vague reports from unnamed NFL executives, who allegedly cited poor interviews and internal red flags as reasons teams passed on the young quarterback. But Travis didn’t hold back his disgust at the shadowy sources.
“I think whoever's the fing anonymous person that's fing saying this should fing come out and say who they were,” Travis ranted. “Don’t f***ing say that we’re anonymous, that’s so f***ing lame.”

The Chiefs star called out the lack of transparency in the scouting process and questioned the validity of the criticisms. “What I saw on film, I thought he was a way higher pick and I think that’s all that should matter,” he added.

Despite the draft-day disappointment, both Kelce brothers see major upside for Sanders. Jason noted that the Browns even picked another QB, Dillon Gabriel, earlier — a move that could stoke Sanders’ drive further.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s a terrible person,” Travis said. “It just seems like he’s a motivated football player… I can see him working his ass off and becoming the starting quarterback in Cleveland at some point.”
Also Read: Stephen A. Smith shuts down hopes of Shedeur Sanders starting for Browns in Week 1
With talent, legacy, and now a chip on his shoulder, Shedeur Sanders might just be Cleveland’s next breakout story.