Shedeur Sanders, 23-year-old quarterback, faced tremendous attention in the National Football League (NFL) draft, where many assumed that he would be picked in the first or second round of the draft. He was already a top-earning college athlete through his deals with large brands, including Nike, Google, Beats by Dre, and Gatorade.
However, these assumptions were squashed as Sanders remained undrafted for the first two days of the draft, gaining national attention from fans, sports analysts, professional athletes, and even the U.S. president. The draft took place from April 24 to 26.
Not until the third day and fifth round of the draft did the Cleveland Browns pick him as the 144th pick. This made Sanders the sixth quarterback to be picked from this year’s draft. The general manager for the Browns believes that Sanders is “a good, solid prospect at the most important position.”
The attention Sanders received is not unfamiliar to him, as he is the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Deion Sanders, who also coached Shedeur at the University of Colorado.
There is speculation that Sanders’ weaknesses as a quarterback outweighed his strengths. According to his draft report, Sanders is not quick enough, has decision-making difficulties, and more.
On top of this, there were reports that Sanders did not perform well in his interviews with teams. An anonymous longtime assistant coach for the NFL reportedly said that his interview with Sanders was “the worst formal interview” he has ever had. He also says Sanders is entitled, takes unnecessary sacks, never plays on time, and blames teammates. Overall he said Sanders “is not that good.” There are other reports of Sanders having poor interviews as well.
NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter blames Sanders’s flashy persona for not getting drafted. Jonathan Jones, an NFL analyst for CBS said that “this is clearly a way for the NFL and its teams to let him and anyone else after him know – you can’t comport yourself in this way moving forward.”
Many in the world of football have reacted to Sanders’s slide. As Sanders’ continued to not get drafted, Stephen A. Smith, ESPN commentator and producer, wrote on X that it is a “disgrace” and he is a “first rounder.” After the second day of the draft, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted on X, simply saying “crazy,” which many fans viewed as a response to Sanders’ draft slide. Robert Griffin III, a former NFL quarterback, released a video on X where he said “Shedeur Sanders didn’t need to be humbled. He’s already humble. His confidence should not shake you or make you uncomfortable.” On the second day of the draft President Trump took to his social media platform, Truth, where he posted “what is wrong with NFL owners, are they STUPID?… [Sanders] should be ‘picked’ IMMEDIATELY by a team that wants to WIN.”
On the other hand, there was a lot of discussion regarding Sanders’ off the field persona and who he is as a leader. Three executives spoke to USA TODAY Sports about Sanders’ low draft pick and chose to remain anonymous. One of the executives, who was referred to as a high-ranking decision-maker, told USA TODAY that “it’s not about being a brand. It’s about being a teammate and earning a job.” There was also conversation about his father’s involvement. His father was his coach at Colorado and was very outspoken prior to the draft regarding his son. The role of his father may have also played a role in turning some teams away from Sanders. One of the executives told USA TODAY that “his dad’s involvement hurt him.”
Sanders has gained a large fan following, and many fans were not pleased with his draft slide.
One fan is suing the NFL over Sanders’ draft slide. The anonymous man, going by “John Doe,” has become a huge fan of Sanders from his time as quarterback for Colorado. The fan cites emotional distress and trauma caused by Sanders’ low draft pick in his lawsuit. The fan also claims that the NFL violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, claiming that they worked together in order for Sanders to be picked late. He also claims that the NFL violated the Civil Rights Act due to racial discrimination, claiming this played a role in Sanders’ draft pick.
In addition to Sanders’ draft slide, he also received a prank call from the son of an Atlanta Falcons coach. Jax Ulbrich, the 21 year old son of defensive coordinator of the Falcons Jeff Ulbrich, pranked call Sanders during the draft. During the prank call Ulbrich told Sanders that “we’re going to take you with our next pick, man, but you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer, man. Sorry about that.” Ulbrich was able to obtain the phone number of Sanders’ through his father’s open iPad. In a statement from the Falcons they reported that “Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank.” After the call, Jax Ulbrich posted a public apology to his instagram story, saying “what I did was completely inexcusable, embarrassing, and shameful. I’m so sorry I took away from your moment, it was selfish and childish.” The NFL has now fined the Falcons $250,000 and Jeff Ulbrich $100,000.
Sanders is now a rookie quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and will begin his professional football career in the 2025 NFL season.
Image source: CBS News