The long wait is over: Shedeur Sanders drafted by Cleveland in fifth round

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had to wait until the final day of the NFL draft to hear his name called.(George Walker IV / Associated Press)

The agonizing wait is over for Shedeur Sanders.

The former Colorado quarterback, son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was selected by the Cleveland Browns at 144th overall Saturday in the fifth round of the NFL draft. The Browns pulled off a trade with Seattle to move up to No. 144, sending fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Seahawks.

Not so long ago, Sanders was widely projected as a top pick and maybe the player chosen No. 1 overall. Clearly, NFL franchises were unconvinced of that, and Sanders went undrafted through the first two days of selections.

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It was a surprising development for Sanders, who recently saw his number retired at Colorado and saw Buffaloes teammate Travis Hunter taken with the second pick.

Sanders did not attend the draft in Green Bay, although he had been invited. Instead, he monitored the event.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.