Deion Sanders has always been known as an outspoken personality who is open about his opinions. He’s also always been supportive of athletes and the decisions they make. But he once talked about players opting out of the NFL Combine with great disdain. That’s why seeing Shedeur Sanders opt out of workouts at the Combine this weekend was surprising.
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Disappointingly, Shedeur has opted out of throwing at the Combine in Indianapolis. Instead, he’s going to focus solely on team interviews. It makes sense when considering that Shedeur is a top prospect who has the chance of being drafted number one overall. Any injury he could pick up would completely derail his draft value. However, Shedeur has been falling on draft boards recently, and many wanted to see him display his accurate throwing arm.
One of the many who may have wanted to see Shedeur perform was his father, Deion. Nothing has been shared about if the two made this decision together. But it seems this was Shedeur’s call because a tweet that resurfaced from 2015 shows that Deion always wants athletes to compete at the Combine.
“Why would a athlete be afraid 2 do what he’s blessed 2 do at the combine. If u have a gift open it up and show the world. #NFLCombine #Truth” Deion wrote.
The reaction to the post in 2015 is a whirlwind to read. It was a different time on Twitter. Firstly, it was still called “Twitter”. Secondly, people made fewer absurd comments because liking comments wasn’t a thing.
@DeionSanders Too many handlers with too much over-thinking.
— Cyd Zeigler (@CydZeigler) February 20, 2015
@DeionSanders QBs may be better off throwing to their own receivers
— D a v i d (@DavidNakky) February 20, 2015
@DeionSanders was the showing up and running a sub 4.3 and saying “Pay me” to the team execs truth or myth?
— scotthayes (@scottahayes) February 20, 2015
@DeionSanders prefer the confines of their campus. Scurred the draft stock will slip.
— Reggie Smith (@reggie_s_smith) February 20, 2015
It seems as though the fans overly agreed with Deion’s sentiments from the past. Some also tap into ideas that wouldn’t be talked about more until the modern day. Like players not wanting to attend because it might showcase some inadequacies causing their stock to fall.
At the end of the day though, it’s been 10 years since this post was made. And the world of football has changed a lot since then. Much of the power now resides in the hands of the star players who have the luxury to not participate. This trend peaked just last year when Caleb Williams decided to commit to the Bears early on and not allow other teams to get hold of his metrics.
But as for Shedeur, many NFL pundits believe his draft stock could be falling. Scouts haven’t been as impressed with his tape compared to Cam Ward and Abdul Carter. So maybe focusing on showing them who he is as a personality and how much knowledge he has of the game will help him rise again. This is Deion’s son after all. He should have the poise and persona to captivate a team.
