While it’s been endlessly talked about, many are still processing Shedeur Sanders’ slide to the 5th round on Draft day. What was once expected to be a surefire first-round pick has now become one of the offseason’s biggest controversies. But through it all, Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, has remained positive.
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Almost a little too positive, if we’re being honest. For a guy whose son just experienced a Draft-day disaster, Deion doesn’t sound too worried. His recent interaction with college football journalist Phillip Dukes painted this perfectly.
Dukes revealed on his YouTube channel recently that he spoke to Deion a lot following the Draft debacle. He wanted to know Coach Prime’s thoughts on Shedeur‘s fit with the Browns, where he slots in on the depth chart, and much more. Dukes was so eager to find out that Deion had to calm him down.
“I know it sounds cliche, but he said, ‘You gotta relax, Dukes, God got this,’” Dukes revealed. “He said, ‘The same God that placed me in Atlanta placed Shedeur in Cleveland.’ And I said, ‘Well, Coach, they could’ve placed him a little earlier, don’t you think?’”
It’s a funny reply coming from the journalist, especially in the face of a deeply spiritual man like Deion. Dukes turned the logic back around on Coach Prime effectively. But the Hall of Famer wasn’t done sharing his perspective with the journalist.
“Coach Prime says, ‘Man, you can’t tell God how to do his job. See, he’s God. I’m not… Nobody, the powers that be, aren’t. There’s one sovereign God. God placed my sons, my children, where they are supposed to be. I got a job to do,’” Dukes added.
Dukes initially thought Deion meant he had to get Shedeur ready before NFL training camp. But Deion quickly clarified that his main focus right now is winning the Big 12 with Colorado. This might come as a surprise to those who believed Deion would be involved in Shedeur’s career every step of the way. Yet, despite being his agent, he currently seems about as uninvolved as you can be.
Did Deion cause Shedeur’s slide?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what made teams lose interest in Shedeur. The reports have been a mix of theories — maybe it was his personality, maybe he wasn’t as good as advertised, or maybe it’s simply because his last name is Sanders. In the end, it seems like a combination of all of the above.
But one thing is clear: Shedeur’s lack of a traditional agent made teams skeptical from the start. On top of that, what his agent — his father — said before the draft didn’t help his stock at all.
Some high-level, unnamed NFL executives recently confirmed that Deion’s involvement with Shedeur as an agent affected his stock.
“Some of the things his dad said, I think that weighed on people’s minds,” they said.
Another executive was quoted as saying they struggled separating “the other stuff from the physical abilities” with Shedeur, and that he had a “flashy persona” with “concerns about leadership style.”
At the end of the day, it’s pretty clear that both Shedeur and even Shilo Sanders received some questionable advice from Deion. He approached the situation as if they were top-tier prospects, but they ended up being anything but.
In this day and age with NIL and social media, you can certainly propel an athlete to fame with a strong college career, and that’s what happened with Shedeur. But that doesn’t mean you can act bigger than the NFL and the Draft because of it. That’s seemingly how NFL teams and executives viewed Shedeur and Deion’s approach. Whether you agree with it or not.
Currently, no NFL quarterbacks drafted in the 5th round are starting. Interestingly, there are more 6th and 7th round quarterbacks starting than 5th rounders, so not all hope is lost for Shedeur. But it’s going to be an uphill battle, and it’s not the best start to his career.
