The NFL Draft is a culmination of many factors for players. The years of blood, sweat and tears on the field. The dog days of summer conditioning in August, where you can barely drag your feet as coach calls it to an end. The excitement and bonding on the bus rides. The sacrifices made by their moms and/or dads, to make every practice and game.
For most the journey starts at the peewee level, then middle school, junior varsity, varsity, then onto college. Dreams of hearing their names called out by the commissioner, after getting that phone call from the teams’ head coach.
Shedeur Sanders got privileged start. As everyone knows, his father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. He grew up around the game his whole life. His father coached him his formative years. From high school, to Jackson State, to Colorado.
Coming into the 2025 NFL Draft, almost all the media “experts” and pundits had him rated as the #2 ranked quarterback in the class, only behind Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward.
Sanders finished his four years of college football completing 70.7% of his passes, for 14,347 yards, with 134 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. He had an additional 17 rushing touchdowns.
Those are great numbers, in a very down quarterback draft class. So why wouldn’t he be rated has high as he was? Why wouldn’t he or anyone expect him to go high or at least in the 1st round?
The world watched as he not only fell out of the 1st round, but he also didn’t even go in the 2nd round. He didn’t go in the 3rd round. He didn’t go in the 4th round. It wasn’t until the 144th pick in the 5th round, for him to get that phone call and hear his name called.
The Cleveland Browns took him. The team with the worst quarterback history in the league, traded up to get him.
Why did he fall so far?
On Day 3 of the draft, word started leaking out about Sanders showing up to interviews unprepared and trying to dictate the teams. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll “called him out about it, and Sanders didn’t like that” according to NFL insider Todd McShay.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter even stated that “he might not be one of the first quarterbacks taken on day two.”
As the picks and rounds went on, it was apparent to everyone that has common sense, that not only did the NFL scouts and coaches did not view Sanders as a Day 1 starting quarterback, but this was a product of media hype run amuck.
Us fans had to sit back and listen to the insufferable whining of Mel Kiper Jr, Rich Eisen, and others, completely drown out and not report on the other players, whose dreams came true. Letting their personal relationships with his father Deion, get in the way of what truly makes the NFL Draft so special.
There simply were not very many “quarterback needy teams” this draft cycle. Add into the fact that this was an extremely deep class at running back, wide receiver, defensive line, offensive line, and cornerback.
In my own personal rankings, I had Shedeur as my #2 ranked quarterback. Certainly, ahead of Dillion Gabriel, who the Browns drafted in the 3rd round with the 94th pick.
Yes, he does hold onto the football too long at times. Yes, he does take some incredibly dumb sacks. Yes, he does try to do too much. Yes, the “media circus” around him is annoying.
What he is though, was the most accurate passer in college football last season, completing 74% of his passes. What he does do, is stay in the pocket and take a hit to deliver the football.
What Shedeur and all the other “experts” and fans need to remember, is that the greatest quarterback of all-time is Tom Brady, and he was taken with the 199th pick.
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, did not even get drafted.
As a lifelong Browns fan myself, I hope he goes out there and lights it up.
I hope he goes out there and shows that he is a franchise quarterback.
WELCOME TO THE DAWG POUND SHEDEUR!!!
– by Sean McKenzie
Stats and information courtesy of…..NCAA and ESPN.
Photos courtesy of…..totalprosports and YouTube.
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