Shedeur Sanders was once mentored by Tom Brady, which led many to believe the Las Vegas Raiders, a team where Brady is a minority owner, would select the quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. With Shedeur on the field and Brady in the box (sometimes, on the sideline), it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the young QB to learn from the GOAT QB.
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But as we know, Vegas snubbed the Colorado star at every turn. Then, the Cleveland Browns swooped in and grabbed him in the fifth round. Days later, Brady shared his insight into the Draft and how to build an NFL team. Was Shedeur part of that plan in his rookie season as an owner? You tell us.
In his newsletter this week, Brady explained why he has a “soft spot” for the NFL Draft. He shared how it gets him thinking about building a winning team and how he’s excited to see which young rookies fit with their squads. It’s something he did for years alongside Bill Belichick in New England.
Brady also mentioned how he doesn’t pay much attention to the pundits and analysts who hand out draft grades. In fact, he joked that he lines his cat’s litter box with them.
The former QB then delved into evaluating the draft and draft picks, highlighting the qualities he believes are ideal for building a team.
“By the beginning of September, decisions will have to be made. Some guys will stick, some will fall away. And we won’t know exactly who until the demands of playing this game at the highest level reveal the aspects of their character that are the most important to building a winning team: determination, competitiveness, resilience, perseverance, humility, integrity, intelligence,” Brady listed.
“I don’t care if you were the last guy signed or the first guy picked, on winning teams, these are the traits that are going to matter most,” he continued. “A team’s draft picks and free agent signings are a window into its culture, for better and for worse.”
Brady clearly emphasizes that, more than skills, it’s character that matters for a player. Perhaps that’s what he and the front office didn’t quite find in Shedeur. They made their seventh pick with the 135th overall in the fourth round to draft DT Tonka Hemingway, and by then, Shedeur was still available.
If the Raiders saw potential in Shedeur, they would have snatched him up sooner rather than later, especially considering the depth at QB for the team. Geno Smith isn’t getting any younger.
In his writing, Brady later drew inspiration from his old team, the Patriots, where they prioritized champions over stars. He listed guys like Tedy Bruschi, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower, and Wes Welker as the selfless “we/us” guys. Bill Belichick wanted to instill a winning mindset and culture in the locker room. And it started with drafting and trading for selfless players.
“When things are going well and everyone is aligned, it’s easy to see a team’s culture on full display like that: from draft picks and free agents, to re-signings and cuts, to coaching hires, to practice habits and playing philosophy. Everything just makes sense.”
With all that said, we have to remember that Brady is just a minority owner. While his words of advice should carry weight in the Vegas front office, he doesn’t have a definitive say in who they draft.
It’s possible that Brady wasn’t even heavily involved in the selection process. So, we shouldn’t assume the Raiders snubbing Shedeur was his doing. Maybe Brady did want Shedeur, but the team chose to go a different direction. We may never know.
