The Logic Behind a Shedeur Sanders–Browns Pairing

Welcome back to The McShay Report! In today’s newsletter, I have some thoughts on Shedeur Sanders and his potential fit with the Browns. Plus, I’m giving you a peek inside my scouting notebook with reports on this year’s top three running back prospects. 

One quick announcement before we dive in: My Mock Draft 2.0 drops Thursday, with tons of post-combine movement, intel, and other updates since I released my first mock last month. Upgrade to the premium newsletter here for full access, and remember to check out The McShay Show twice weekly on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Today’s Rundown:

• The Logic Behind a Sanders-Browns Pairing: Reading the tea leaves and making sense of Cleveland’s plan with the no. 2 pick.

• Running Back Tiers and An Ashton Jeanty Scouting Report: What makes Jeanty the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley?

• Omarion Hampton Scouting Report: The North Carolina back is my RB2—and likely the RB1 on some teams’ boards.

• TreVeyon Henderson Scouting Report: How Henderson reminds me of Jahmyr Gibbs and why he could sneak into the first round.  

Why Shedeur to the Browns makes sense

Last week, during an interview with Browns play-by-play broadcaster Andrew Siciliano, franchise cornerstone Myles Garrett hinted that he knows Cleveland’s future plans at quarterback. When Siciliano asked whether Garrett liked the idea, he responded by saying, “I like it enough to be here smiling in front of you, because I think we have a good chance of that happening and making the most of it.” 

Many fans thought those comments pointed to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whom the Browns have a clear path to drafting with the no. 2 pick. And more smoke supporting that theory arrived over the weekend, after Sanders exchanged pleasantries with Cleveland Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana on Instagram.

While I don’t typically peddle in this type of rumor mongering and the above examples are far from hard evidence, I think the conspiracy theorists may be onto something. For starters, it's apparent that Cleveland is on the list of acceptable spots for Shedeur to land, which isn’t the case for every team in the NFL draft QB market. And while I’ve reported that two teams (both of which need a QB) who interviewed Sanders at the scouting combine weren’t overly impressed by him, it’s worth noting that Cleveland wasn’t one of those teams.

Maybe there’s fire to the smoke, maybe there isn’t. Either way, I want to advance the narrative. Over the weekend, I took some time to re-familiarize myself with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s history and did some serious thinking about what general manager Andrew Berry, Stefanski, and the organization are up against because of the Deshaun Watson contract mess. I also made some calls to people I trust—who are or have been in that GM seat—for their perspective on the situation.  

From an organizational standpoint, Cleveland’s only way out of salary cap purgatory is to land their guy at QB on a rookie contract. They can’t expect to be drafting again this high for a while, and because of Watson’s deal also don’t have the cap space to make a big-ticket signing at QB, which is why they were never in the Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold sweepstakes. 

For Berry and Stefanski specifically, it’s all about winning now. If Cleveland is drafting this high again next year, there’s a good chance both guys are out of a job. If they think they have a roster good enough to win a lot of games in 2025—and probably for the next two years—they need solid (not elite, just solid to above-average) QB play as soon as possible. They also know that they won’t have the money to sign a top-tier starter at QB next year, so the situation isn’t changing during the 2026 offseason.  

This is all to say that Cleveland’s best chance at winning short and long term is to strike gold with the no. 2 pick. Is Shedeur an elite prospect? No. Would he have been one of the top four or five QBs taken last year? No. But if I’m Berry, I understand putting my trust in my head coach, who has a proven track record of getting the most out of pocket-passing quarterbacks that lack elite arm strength and mobility. Sound familiar?  

Shedeur’s skill set is strikingly similar to the handful of QBs that Stefanski has won a lot of games with in the past, including Case Keenum (who won 11 games for the Vikings with Stefanski as QB coach in 2017), Kirk Cousins (whose Vikings team won 10 games under Stefanski as offensive coordinator in 2019), and most recently, a late-career Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as the Browns starter in 2023. 

Sanders also seemingly wants to be a Brown despite Cleveland’s track record at QB, and he’s the best pure pocket passer in this year’s class when he’s protected and playing on schedule. If he isn’t ready for Week 1, Stefanski and Co. should still be able to win a few games with Kenny Pickett. And if the front office can get Russell Wilson on the cheap, great. Let all three guys battle it out in camp, with the best man winning the job come late August.

Running Back Tiers and Scouting Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty

On Monday, we’ll break down the loaded running back class on The McShay Show, so I thought it would be a good time to go deeper on my top-ranked players at the position. Below are my running back tiers, plus scouting reports on my top three prospects: Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and TreVeyon Henderson. 

Ashton Jeanty (5-8, 211 pounds)

NFL comp: Alvin Kamara, Saints
Draft projection: Early first round

Jeanty is one of the most impressive backs I’ve evaluated in the past decade. He belongs in the rare air of guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs, all of whom were  selected in the top 12 in the past decade.    

Jeanty is a shorter back but he has a tightly packed frame that gives him a strong center of gravity. A three-year player at Boise State, Jeanty played in 40 of 42 games in his college career, finishing with 830 offensive touches. In his record-setting 2024 season, he carried the ball 374 times for 2,601 yards (7.0 per carry) and 29 TDs, while also catching 23 passes for 138 yards (6.0) and one score.

He had four fumbles on 397 touches last season, which is higher than you’d like, but he carries the ball high and tight, and I don’t see ball security being an issue in the NFL. Perhaps my biggest concern is his workload in three seasons at Boise State. But he’s known for his work ethic and commitment to taking care of his body. Plus, NIL money allowed him to hire a nutritionist and to receive physical therapy, advantages most college backs have not had.

Run Style/Traits

Grade (on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being best): 1

Jeanty’s vision as a runner and his ability to sense creases and the flow of defenders is truly special. He runs low to the ground and has the body control to shave edges as well as a sharp cutting ability to get in and out of holes in a flash. He has sensational contact balance. His legs are always driving through contact and he never gives defenders a full target to hit, which allows him to break an extraordinary number of arm tackles and finish runs falling forward. One thing that’s important to note when evaluating Jeanty: He’s been successful in every area of the field, from downhill (251 carries in 2024), outside (137 carries), behind gap (193 carries) and against zone (181 carries). He also forces a lot of missed tackles. His 152 MTF last season is the highest since PFF began keeping that record. 

Pass Protection

Grade: 4

This is the only part of Jeanty’s game that is cause for concern. He fights hard in protection, but  his shorter frame gets him in trouble at times. I believe he can improve in the NFL, but he just hasn’t given this aspect of his game enough attention. 

Receiving

Grade: 2

Jeanty’s receiving skill has shades of Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley. Jeanty has soft hands and transitions upfield in a flash on outlets, screens, swings, etc. He has some experience running routes out wide and looks more than competent in that role, even if it’s a small sample size. I have no trouble projecting him as an absolute asset (and weapon) in the passing game in the NFL.

Scouting North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton (5-11, 221 pounds)

NFL comp: Joe Mixon, Texans
Draft projection: First round

In his two seasons as a starter at UNC, Hampton carried the ball 534 times for 3,164 yards (5.9 ypc) with 30 TDs, while also catching 67 passes for 595 yards (8.9) and three more scores. He has prototypical NFL size with a powerful build and excellent top-end speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash) for his size. He finished in the 96th percentile in jumping drills at the combine (38-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches). 

Hampton’s 695 touches during his three seasons at UNC is higher than ideal but significantly fewer than Jeanty’s 830. Hampton’s ball security has improved greatly (he had five fumbles his first two seasons, compared to just one fumble on 319 touches in 2024). He’s an elite prospect who projects as an every-down star in the NFL. 

Run Style/Traits

Grade: 1

Hampton is a downhill runner with a unique blend of size, power, agility, and contact balance. Despite his power, he’s impressively light on his feet. He has experience as both a gap and zone runner, but has been more effective behind zone-blocking schemes.

Pass Protection

Grade: 2

He gives effort and puts his face in the fan. He has the size and power to more than hold his own in the NFL. However, he will need to improve his angles and get himself in more balanced leverage positions before contact to improve this aspect of his game.

Receiving

Grade: 2

He has soft hands when catching on the run and does a great job making at least the first defender miss after the catch (he finished in the 96th percentile in PFF’s missed tackles forced as a receiver). He was heavily involved in North Carolina’s passing game with 67 catches in the past two seasons. However, he’s not an accomplished route runner yet, though I wouldn’t bet against him developing into one in the NFL.

Scouting Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson (5-10, 202 pounds)

NFL comp: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Draft Projection: Late first round, early second

Load management will be important for Henderson in the NFL. He was much more durable in his first (2021) and final (2024) seasons at OSU when he was part of a running back rotation that limited his carries (184 and 144, respectively). He was much less effective and available when elevated to the load-carrier role in 2022 and 2023. At his best, he’s an explosive runner and receiver who should excel in a Jahmyr Gibbs–like role in the NFL. One thing to note: He had zero fumbles on 171 touches in 2024 and just one fumble on 666 career touches. 

Run Style/Traits

Grade: 1

Henderson is a downhill runner with explosive initial acceleration (confirmed by his 1.52-second 10-yard split at the combine, tied for third-best among running backs) and second-gear explosiveness (4.43 seconds in the 40). He’s much more effective behind gap blocking than zone, but has experience playing behind both.

His feet are so damn quick! He has the ability to shuffle/slide in a flash before explosively accelerating upfield. His power comes from the momentum he’s able to generate downhill. His contact balance is just average, but when he has a head of steam, he becomes difficult to tackle for second- and third-level defenders.

Pass Protection

Grade: 1.5

He’s much more accomplished as a run blocker than in pass protection, but his nastiness, aggressiveness, and initial power will translate to pass pro in the NFL. He reminds me of former Buckeye Zeke Elliott in this regard.

Receiving

Grade: 1

He’s a bit of a body catcher but a reliable receiver. He’s ridiculously explosive after the catch with a unique ability to explode upfield and make defenders miss and separate from them. I believe he can expand his route tree and become a much more diverse route runner.

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