Sanders selected by Browns as NFL draft's 144th pick

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been selected by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft - the sixth pick of the fifth round and 144th overall.

The former University of Colorado player - the son of legendary dual-purpose player Deion Sanders - had been projected to be a top-five pick.

His slide down the draft, as team after team chose not to pick him, confounded analysts. Even US President Donald Trump expressed his surprise on social media, posting: "What is wrong with NFL owners - are they stupid?"

"Thank you God," Sanders wrote on social media when news of the pick came through.

The Browns traded the 166th and 192nd overall picks to the Philadelphia Eagles to pick up Sanders.

"We felt like he was a good, solid prospect at the most important position," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said.

"We felt it got to a point where he was probably mis-priced relative to the draft."

He became the sixth quarterback picked in the draft - and the second by the Browns, after they also took on Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round.

The Browns also have quarterbacks DeShaun Watson, Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco on their roster - although Watson is injured and likely to miss next season.

Sanders' father Deion played for several teams including the Dallas Cowboy and the San Francisco 49ers in a storied NFL career during which he played cornerback in defence as well as a kick returner and wide receiver on offence.

He also played in the World Series - the pinnacle of baseball - for the Atlanta Braves in 1992.