If Shedeur Sanders is going to fulfil his dream of becoming a starting NFL quarterback at the Cleveland Browns, he is going to do it the hard way.

Many NFL observers considered the former Colorado quarterback to be a nailed-on first round pick at the Draft this year – some even said he should be the first pick.

But after a tumultuous run-up to the event, where multiple teams took a dislike to Sanders’ atтιтude, he slid all the way down to the fifth round before the Browns put him out of his misery by taking him with the 144th pick.

Fast forward to July, however, and the hard work is only just beginning for Sanders. As one of four quarterbacks on the roster – and the one ranked fourth on the depth chart – he has been a peripheral figure in the early days of Browns camp.

‘I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is,’ Sanders said about practicing with the third and fourth team this week.

‘It doesn’t make me feel down or it doesn´t make me feel left out or anything because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team.’

Shedeur Sanders accepts he has to play the long game before he’s the No 1 Browns QB

So far in training camp, Sanders has been practicing with the third and fourth team

Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett have mainly split first team reps between them while Dillon Gabriel, a third-round pick at quarterback in the draft, also had one 11-on-11 drill.

Who will start at signal caller for the first game against Cincinnati Bengals on September 7 is uncertain but Sanders has acknowledged that it is unlikely to be him.

Read MoreEXCLUSIVE Inside story of how ‘enтιтled’ Shedeur Sanders caused his NFL Draft humiliation that stunned Trump

‘I know whenever I get my opportunity, I´ve got to maximize it,’ he said. ‘I just got to think about what I could do to get better even if I´m not getting reps.’

His slide in the draft, combined with the fact he is the son of Deion Sanders – who coached him at Colorado – means there is a heightened sense of attention on the 23-year-old, something he insists will not hold him back.

The external is cool. I’m thankful for it,’ he said. ‘But hey, when I get out there, I´m not thinking about external.

‘I’m thinking about more, in the organization, thinking about getting the play calls, executing my job, and doing what I´ve got to do.’  

He made a promising start in Saturday’s practice, going 3-for-3 in 7 vs 7 drills. And it remains to be seen if the Browns have four quarterbacks on the roster come the start of the season.

If injuries strike rival teams, they hold a potentially strong hand in trade talks. But for now, Sanders is adamant that he will climb the pecking order using his talent alone.