“I Was Both P*ssed and Pleased”: Michael Irvin Speaks Up On the Dramatic Shedeur Sanders Draft Snub

Michael Irvin has always supported Shedeur Sanders, and it was hard for him to see the young QB slip out of the first four rounds of the draft. But he’s spent time reflecting on the debacle in the days since. Now, he believes both good and bad things can come out of the unfortunate start to Shedeur’s career.

As it’s been hashed out and rehashed, the draft did not go Shedeur’s way. Initially projected as a first-round pick, he took a free fall to the 5th round, having to wait until the third day to be selected. Teams had claimed they weren’t as interested as people had thought going into the weekend, but nobody expected Shedeur to have so few teams willing to take a chance on him.

One of those unexpected parties was a friend of Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin. The Cowboys legend joined the Rich Eisen Show to profess his thoughts and feelings on Shedeur over two weeks after the fact. And he didn’t hold back.

“I was both p*ssed and pleased,” Irvin shared. “I know how hard he pursued that dream. And how hard he wanted to be drafted higher than his dad… So, to see them punish him like that and to see him go through what he went through, it was painful for me.”

Irvin’s pain was also felt by other NFL analysts like Mel Kiper Jr. and Ryan Clark. They all thought it was baffling what happened to Shedeur throughout the draft. From not being selected with a higher pick to a prank call from someone claiming to be from the New Orleans Saints.

However, Irvin also wanted to keep a positive outlook on the situation.

“All they did by doing this, even though it was painful to watch him drop, I was pleased with how he handled it. They gave him that same start again. Start from the bottom and climb his way up, and he’ll make it work.”

Essentially, Irvin argued that this is a spot that Shedeur has been in before, and he’s somewhat correct. Not many were watching the young phenom at Jackson State, where his journey began. Once Shedeur got to Colorado, he became much more popular. Not only for his name, but for his remarkable accuracy throwing the football.

So far, Shedeur has been proving his doubters wrong at the start of rookie minicamp. He reportedly outperformed Dillon Gabriel in his first few days, a quarterback the Browns selected two rounds earlier. It’s not a crowning achievement, but it’s a good start for a guy with a ton of critical attention.

That said, the aspect of Irvin’s comments that falls flat is this idea that Shedeur “started from the bottom.” Maybe he did from a football sense at a non-D1 school. But from a familial sense, let’s not forget, he is the son of Deion Sanders. He undoubtedly had a leg up on his contemporaries just by the resources his dad had access to. Let’s not act like Shedeur is just some random kid off the street.

But at the end of the day, Irvin seems to be simply supporting his friend’s son. Deion and the legendary wideout played in Texas together for 5 seasons and won a Super Bowl during their time. So, while they’re nice, it’s hard to analyze his take without sensing a bit of bias.