“Johnny Manziel Crossed With Cam Newton”: Fans Give Their Verdict on Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Combine Interview

Shedeur Sanders is virtually a lock to be selected in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL Draft. He has pinpoint accuracy, can make plays when the pocket collapses, and is a natural leader who thrives under pressure. However, many still have questions—whether warranted or not—about the mental side of his game.

Sanders, along with many other top prospects in the draft, opted out of the on-field drills at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Everyone has seen his tape—they know what he can do. Instead, he’s focusing on the off-field portion, showing teams and the NFL world what kind of person he is. That includes interviews with individual teams as well as the media.

He took to the podium for his media interview on Friday, and he did not disappoint. As confident as ever, he stated there’s “no question” why a struggling NFL franchise should choose him.

“If you aren’t trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me. You should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I’ve done it, over and over and over. So, it should be no question why an NFL franchise should pick me,” said the QB.

Many didn’t like what they deemed cockiness during Sanders’ time at the podium, but he was not really embellishing anything. Any team that’s picking at the top of the draft obviously needs a culture change. That’s a given. And he has proven that he can change the culture and the trajectory of programs. He’s done so not once, but twice.

Before he arrived at Jackson State, they finished 4-8 in 2019. In his final season there, they finished 12-1. The year before he arrived in Boulder, the Buffaloes were 1-11. Two years later, Colorado had gone 9-4, finished as a ranked team, and earned a Bowl game appearance. As you can see, the criticism he’s received for that comment is pretty unwarranted.

However, he can’t seem to shake that anti-Sanders mentality that many have carried with them for over two decades since his father, Deion Sanders, shook the status quo with his flamboyance and swag. There are still many who don’t like when athletes of a certain ilk are too loud and confident.

All the hate, criticism, and negativity surrounding Shedeur doesn’t faze him, however. Some adopt the spotlight; Shedeur was born into it.

“You think I’m worried about what critics say, or what critics gotta say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him too. So it’s almost normal, without people hating, it’s not normal for us. So, we like the adversity, we like everything that comes with the name, that’s why we are who we are,” the QB added.

Sanders is arguably more equipped than anyone else in this draft to face adversity without letting it faze him. However, the confidence he displayed at the podium—regarding his proven abilities, mentality, and resume—predictably ruffled some feathers in the anti-Sanders camp. One netizen even went so far as to call him a mix of two controversial QBs—Johnny Manziel and Cam Newton.

As is usually the case, these insults seem grounded in a dislike of Coach Prime and what he stands for rather than the reality of his son’s football prowess. As another Twitter user pointed out (the last of the four tweets above), it’s essentially always a lose-lose situation for Shedeur Sanders.

If he said that he couldn’t handle the hate, he would be labeled soft. But when he says he can handle the criticism, he’s viewed as cocky. Catch-22, Sanders Edition.