Super Bowl Champion Gives Reason Why Shedeur Sanders Fell to Fifth Round in NFL Draft
The NFL Draft had its fair share of surprises over the weekend, with one of the most shocking being the fall of quarterback Shedeur Sanders to the fifth round. Sanders, considered one of the top quarterback prospects, was the sixth taken and eventually landed with the Cleveland Browns. According to reporting from Fox News, two-time Super Bowl champion and ESPN NFL analyst Damien Woody gave a straightforward reason as to why Sanders slid.
“I think the NFL sent a message, saying you’re not that dude,” Woody said on “Get Up”. “Honestly. The overwhelming message I saw when Shedeur slid to the fifth round, the NFL was basically saying you’re not that guy. You’re good but you’re not that guy.”
Woody added that if Sanders was considered the top player, he would have been picked in the first round, as NFL teams are in the business of winning and need players who can help them achieve that goal.
“The NFL clearly felt that Shedeur Sanders was a good prospect but he wasn’t what the young people call, he wasn’t him,” Woody said. “And then on top of that, you factor in all the celebrity and everything that comes with Shedeur Sanders. … And I’m not the one that’s downplaying. It’s the NFL who ultimately said, you know what, when you combine that fact that we don’t think you are him, and you have all this celebrity and everything that comes with you, that is the ultimate recipe for why you found yourself in the fifth round.”
The NFL Draft process can be unpredictable, and Sanders’ fall was a major talking point over the weekend. Multiple reports suggested that Sanders’ pre-draft interviews were questionable, which may have contributed to his slide. Additionally, Sanders did not throw at the NFL Scouting Combine, instead electing to work out at his own showcase weeks before the draft.
In his first media availability since being drafted, Sanders addressed his fall, stating that it did not affect him. “Nothing really affected me the last couple of days,” Sanders said. “I’m favoured, I’m blessed. Besides that, it’s not really anything that changed. The love of the game is still the love of the game. When you get on the field, there wasn’t too much negativity being said. I know I gotta clean up some things in my game for me to be at my best, but that’s what I take each offseason one at a time and fix it.”
Sanders also expressed his determination to prove his doubters wrong and show that he was a good decision for the Browns. “The main thing, I’m just proving — coach (Kevin) Stefanski and (general manager Andrew) Berry — that they are right,” Sanders said. “That’s it. They’re right about picking me. I’m a good decision. I’m a good draft pick for them, to be able to come in there and do what I need to do.”
According to Fox News, Sanders enters a crowded quarterback room with the Browns and will look to make an impact in his rookie season. The NFL Draft may have had its surprises, but one thing is certain: Shedeur Sanders is determined to prove himself at the next level.
For more sports coverage, visit Fox News.
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