Shedeur Sanders is sliding down the board in mocks after originally being tipped as the potential No.1 pick in April’s NFL Draft.
The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback has an impressive track record in college, helped two-way star Travis Hunter earn the Heisman Trophy, and NFL ability running through his veins thanks to Hall of Fame father Deion.
There don’t appear to be many holes in the 23-year-old’s resume and he confidently vowed to change the face of whatever franchise drafted him at the Combine. That was where the problems started.
“I am disappointed to hear that a quarterbacks coach from a team drafting in the top 7 referred to Shedeur Sanders as coming off ‘brash’ and ‘arrogant’ in his team interview and making his assessment known to a number of people, per source,” NFL insider Josina Anderson wrote.
“This coach’s personal assessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the Combine.
“Sanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are).
“According to league sources, said QB coach seems to have issue with ‘the culture’ of athletes who have broad fame and financial success before entering the NFL, and in their opinions, appears to them to have a problem with certain athletes — I’ll leave it at that.”
Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson discussed the comments on their Nightcap podcast and were furious at Shedeur’s character coming into question.
“Listen, don’t change. Do you know who else was brash? By the name of Baker Mayfield, and he went No.1 too,” Ochocino said. “Now all of a sudden there’s a problem with having confidence in yourself.
“He’s not brash, it’s about having confidence and believing in the work you’ve already put in. The resume speaks for itself, turn on the film. There’s a reason he’s talking the way he’s talking.
“That’s exactly what the teams are looking for. Not softly spoken, you’re a leader of men.”
Sharpe threw Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel into the mix alongside Mayfield, who has rebuilt his career after leaving the Cleveland Browns and is now earning rave reviews for his leadership style with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Can he play? Can he play football? He’s a football player. He’s not into politics because in politics you need to be likeable. That’s why people will vote for you. In this situation, can he play football?” Sharpe insisted.
Ocho claimed certain teams are looking for a clone of a Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, accusing them of wanting a ‘robot’ under center.
Sharpe said it would have been easy for Shedeur to cruise along in life with a dad like Deion and praised him and Bronny James for trying to make their own way.
“It takes a special kind of person, growing up in an ivory tower with mink slippers and silver pyjamas, to say, ‘Hey I want to get up like my dad, or my mom did.’ Not everybody wired like that,” he insisted.
Former pro turned sportswriter Bucky Brooks also leapt to Shedeur’s defense.
“Every year, we watch a high profile QB deal with this nonsense,” he posted on X. “No one expects Sanders to be a perfect fit for every coach and organization, but the unnecessary character attacks by NFL personnel and some media members with NFL backgrounds is garbage.
“These unflattering and unfounded remarks haunt prospects beyond the pre-draft process, including tainting a fan base’s opinion before the player takes the field for a squad.. it’s stupid.”
By most accounts, Shedeur is a model professional and superb teammate.
Thanks to Deion’s contacts he has been mentored by Tom Brady and admits he is trying to model his game on the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
He also admitted during the Combine that he has a long way to go to reach his potential, displaying the humility and maturity that he was accused of lacking.
Brady is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and will have a say in who the franchise picks sixth overall — a highly-motivated quarterback with a chip on his shoulder may just fall into his lap.
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