Shedeur Sanders' draft slide leads to a rare QB double dip by the Browns

Shedeur Sanders' slide down the NFL draft was the dominant story of the weekend with one of college football's most high-profile players lasting until the fifth round.

The fact Sanders was taken by the Browns two rounds after they drafted another quarterback in Dillon Gabriel made the entire situation even more rare.

The Browns were the first team to draft two quarterbacks in the first five rounds of the NFL draft since Washington did it in 2012, when the team traded up to take Robert Griffin III with the second-overall pick and then drafted Kirk Cousins in the fourth round.

There are only a handful of other times in the common draft era beginning in 1967 that a team picked two quarterbacks that high in the draft.

Green Bay drafted Anthony Dilweg in the third round and Jeff Graham in the fourth in 1989. The Packers traded Graham to Washington later in the draft and he never played a game in the NFL despite spending time with several teams. Dilweg started seven games in 1990.

The Colts double-dipped at quarterback in 1982, taking Art Schlichter fourth overall and Mike Pagel in the fourth round. Schlichter played only 13 games because of gambling problems, while Pagel had a long career, mostly as a backup.

The Houston Oilers also did it in 1971, taking Dan Pastorini in the first round and Lynn Dickey in the third. Both had long careers as starters in the NFL.

There were two other times it happened but one of those QBs quickly shifted positions to receiver once joining the NFL.

The Jets took Kellen Clemens in the second round and Brad Smith in the fourth in 2006. Clemens spent 12 seasons in the NFL, mostly as a backup, while Smith had a successful career as a receiver, returner and occasional wildcat quarterback.

The Raiders took quarterbacks with their first two picks in 1968 but first-rounder Eldrige Dickey moved to receiver following his first training camp and had only five catches in his career. Second-rounder Ken Stabler went on to become the 1974 AP NFL MVP and had a Hall of Fame career as a quarterback.

Trading up for a top-two pick in the NFL draft isn't that uncommon with it happening five times in the last 13 drafts before this season. Doing it for a non-quarterback was rare.

The deal made by Jacksonville with Cleveland to move up from No. 5 to No. 2 to take Travis Hunter marked the first time since 1997 that a team traded up that high to draft a non-quarterback.

It happened twice in 1997, with the Raiders trading up to No. 2 that year before the Rams jumped them two weeks later to trade for the No. 1 pick. The Rams took Hall of Famer Orlando Pace and the Raiders drafted Darrell Russell.

There hadn't been a receiver taken in the top two since Calvin Johnson went second to Detroit in 2007 and no defensive back had been taken that high since safety Eric Turner went second to Cleveland in 1991.

There were 12 other instances in the common draft era starting in 1967 when a team traded up for a top-two pick and drafted a non-quarterback.

Pace was one of four Hall of Famers acquired that way with the other three all being running backs: Eric Dickerson (1983), Earl Campbell (1978) and Tony Dorsett (1977).

Some of the other trades weren't as successful, like Cincinnati moving up to take running back Ki-Jana Carter first in 1995, the Jets trading up for receiver Lam Jones in 1980 and the Vikings moving up for running back Clint Jones in 1967.

With the SEC setting a record with 79 players drafted and Ohio State having 14 of the 71 draft picks in the Big Ten, the two most prominent college football conferences dominated draft weekend.

Thanks to the first year of expansion that sent Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, along with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten, those conferences accounted for 58% of all draft picks.

Throw in the 42 picks for the ACC and 31 for the Big 12 and the four power conferences had nearly 87% of all draft picks this year, along with six more from Notre Dame.

The Group of Five had just 18 players drafted as many players who began their careers at that level have moved up to power conferences. There were only eight players chosen from non-FBS teams.

There were players who finished their college careers at 86 schools that got drafted, with the defending champion Buckeyes leading the way with 14 — one off of the record since the start of the seven-round draft era in 1994 set by Georgia in 2022.

The Bulldogs were next with 13, followed Texas with 12, Oregon with 10 and Ole Miss with eight. Five schools had seven players drafted: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami and Michigan.

This marked the 87th straight draft with a player from Michigan being taken. USC also has had a player taken in every draft since 1939, tying the Wolverines for the longest active streak.

There was an even split of offensive and defensive players picked in the draft with 126 players from each side of the ball picked — not including the two-way player Hunter.

The other four players taken were specialists, including a rare long snapper drafted with Julian Ashby getting taken by New England with the 252nd pick.

The defensive line led the way with 58 players taken, according to Sportradar, followed by 47 exclusive defensive backs and 41 offensive linemen. There were 30 receivers drafted in addition to Hunter, along with 25 running backs, 21 linebackers, 16 tight ends and 14 QBs.

This marked just the fourth time in the common draft era that two tight ends were taken in they top 15, with Chicago taking Colston Loveland 10th and Indianapolis choosing Tyler Warren 14th.

It also happened in 1992 (Derek Brown and Johnny Mitchell), 1973 (Charlie Young and Paul Seymour) and 1972 (Riley Odoms and Jerome Barkum).

Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.

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Tight end Colston Loveland, the Chicago Bears' first round draft pick, 10th overall, speaks during an NFL football press conference, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, the Detroit Lions first round pick, 28th overall, in the NFL football draft, speaks during a news conference in Allen Park, Mich., Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Two-way player Travis Hunter, the Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft pick, second overall, strikes a Heisman pose while holding a jersey during an NFL football press conference, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

Two-way player Travis Hunter, the Jacksonville Jaguars first round draft pick, second overall, laughs with reporters during an NFL football press conference, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

FILE - Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders takes part in passing drills during Colorado's NFL football pro day Friday, April 4, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

A screen shows Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders after being chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the 144th overall pick during the third day of the NFL football draft, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

FILE - Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)