Shedeur Sanders went about the NFL Draft process all wrong. He went about it like he was the best thing the NFL had ever seen. He came in with the confidence of his father, Deion, without possessing half the talent he did. Sanders was right to be confident in himself. He was wrong to think he had nothing to prove to the 32 NFL GMs that could have drafted him.
The speculation around why Shedeur Sanders went from No. 2 quarterback prospect to fifth-round selection to a team that already drafted a quarterback two rounds prior grew to a head, now a week later. An NFL general manager told Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio that Sanders came into the NFL Draft process like he was being recruited and not interviewed.
The NFL is a league with the most talented athletes in the world. There’s no way Sanders thought he already made it, right?
Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide due to treating pre-draft process like he was being 'recruited,' according to NFL GM
Sanders’ slide has largely been attributed to his attitude toward handling the pre-draft process. I think for a player like Sanders to think he had as much weight as his dad was the wrong attitude. Look at how Cam Ward and Travis Hunter handled the pre-draft process. Both players weren’t just humble, but they used the pre-draft process to validate why they’re as good as they are. Film tells how they are on the field, the interview process speaks to what they will add to the locker room.
From Sanders’ vantage point, he made it seem as if he’s going to be the guy as soon as he walks into the locker room and that could cause friction, especially for a player that hadn’t even played a down in the NFL yet.
That’s why players like Dillon Gabriel and Tyler Shough can be selected inside the top 100 rather than Sanders. That’s also why players like Jalen Milroe get applauded for his interviews with teams and why Sanders is stuck wondering what happened.
It can’t be easy being the son of a hall of famer and living up to those expectations. But look at Bronny James. He didn’t come through the NBA Draft process as if the league needs him because his dad is LeBron. No, he came in knowing he had to prove his worth just like everybody else.
Sanders could have learned a lesson about how to handle stardom and being the offspring of an elite player. Unfortunately, it’s too late to right that wrong. Now he has to go into training camp and prove why the Cleveland Browns should add him to the 53-man roster.
He’s talented, but he still has a lot of work to do to be an NFL starter, let alone making a roster. He can still prove he belongs in the NFL, only now he has to play like it and do less talking.