By Evan MasseyShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberShedeur Sanders is finally getting his chance to prove that he can be a starting NFL quarterback with the Cleveland Browns. After starting last week against the Las Vegas Raiders and picking up a win, head coach Kevin Stefanski has announced that Sanders will be the starter once again this week against the San Francisco 49ers.
While the Raiders are not a good football team, Sanders did enough to show the Browns that he deserves more playing time. Going up against the 49ers will be a much more difficult test.
Against Las Vegas, Sanders ended up completing 11 of his 20 pass attempts for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. His stat line was padded late in the game when he connected on a screen pass with running back Dylan Sampson, who proceeded to take the play 66 yards for a touchdown.
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Even though Cleveland has decided to stick with Sanders for this week's game, there are still a lot who doubt his ability to be a long-term franchise quarterback for the team.
...With that being said, a new prediction has been made that would see the Browns quickly replace Sanders during the upcoming NFL offseason.
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic has predicted that Cleveland will make the move to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mendoza has led the Hoosiers to an undefeated record so far during the 2025 college football season. His draft stock has been soaring and he has been talked about as a candidate to go No. 1 overall. Being able to land him at No. 8 would be a great value pick for the Browns.
This season, Mendoza has completed 73 percent of his passes for 2,641 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He has also run for 216 yards and another five touchdowns.
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It's possible that those numbers could lead him to a Heisman Trophy win depending on how things go the next week or two.
Should Cleveland have a chance to select Mendoza, the team shouldn't pass on it. Sanders would likely still have a chance to compete for the job, but a top-10 quarterback being selected usually signals that a team is moving in his direction.
For more on the Cleveland Browns and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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