Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is in contention to be the greatest tight end in NFL history. While that’s what he is now, he didn’t have such prestige when he entered the league. Sharpe was a seventh-round selection (No. 192 overall) in the 1990 NFL Draft.
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Sharpe’s collegiate statistics at Savannah State — a Division II school — were impressive, though. He recorded 192 receptions, 3,744 yards, and 40 touchdowns for the Tigers. So why was such an elite talent drafted so late?
Cam Newton, the No. 1 pick of his Draft class, has a theory that revolves around where Sharpe was coming from, which made people overlook his impressive production.
“[Sharpe] was really good… he just got overlooked because of his circumstances going to a small school,” said Cam on the 4th&1 podcast. “When you see other guys like, ‘yo, how the f*ck did this person drop so low’… He was good at where he was. Film over upside for me. If you didn’t perform well in college… I’m not taking that chance on you.”
Despite Sharpe’s stats, scouts were concerned his numbers were a product of the lower level of competition he was coming from. Had Sharpe not attended the NFL Combine, he may not have even gotten drafted. Imagine what a miss that would have been.
Sharpe finished his 14-year NFL career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards. He also had 62 touchdowns in 204 regular season games. And three Super Bowl victories.
Newton said it’s a shame players like Sharpe fall in the NFL Draft when many without such production look great in Combine drills. To him, someone’s tape should determine their value more than performances in shorts.
Newton’s conversation on the Combine was mostly about Travis Hunter’s decision to participate in the event. He said he wasn’t shocked about the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner wanting to strut his stuff in Indianapolis next weekend.
Newton: Hunter doing Combine exercises “not the popular thing”
Some may wonder why Hunter is potentially risking injury to work out at the NFL Scouting Combine. If anyone can understand his mindset, it’s Newton, who was the 2010 Heisman Trophy recipient and won the 2010 BCS National Championship with Auburn. But Cam still appeared at the Combine.
Newton said Hunter “doesn’t” need to do the Combine. He will almost assuredly be a top-five selection in late April. But doing so is not just about the player trying to raise his draft stock. It’s about demonstrating that he is willing to battle to be the best in any situation.
“I’m a competitor… ‘make no mistake about it, I’m the No. 1 mother f***er out here’… I’m setting the tone… all I know is compete… real competitors can relate to this… It’s not the popular thing to do, but I’ll put it like this. I had a very subpar Combine performance and I still went No. 1,” explained Newton.
Hunter, known for his two-way abilities in college, is working out as a cornerback at the Combine. He’ll take the Lucas Oil Stadium field for drills on Friday, Feb. 28. You can watch Hunter, other defensive backs, and tight ends do their thing at 3:00 p.m. E.T. on NFL Network.
