With the 2025 NFL Draft just around the corner, Shedeur Sanders continues to face an onslaught of criticisms. Whether it’s the flashy watches or his patting of the ball prior to his release, there seems to be a growing list of faux concerns surrounding the former Colorado Buffalo.
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Despite being coached by two of the greatest players in NFL history, Deion Sanders and Tom Brady, scouts and fans alike have certainly soured on the 23-year-old prospect. The 2024 Golden Arm winner was initially favored to land with either the Cleveland Browns or the New York Giants following his final season in college. However, both teams have reportedly dropped out of the Shedeur sweepstakes, as they are now eyeing the likes of Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter.
On the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast, Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson suggested that the dwindling draft status of Sanders is nothing more than the result of pettiness. In highlighting the speed at which Sanders has begun to slide down draft boards, Sharpe questioned the logic behind the two teams’ decisions as both of them have a long list of failures at the QB position.
“If you go back and look at it, nobody has had more quarterbacks than probably them…. I’m tired of speculating. I don’t understand, how does somebody rise or fall and nobody’s played a game in three months?”
Asserting that Sanders has been on the receiving end of several biased opinions, Ocho suggested that the second-generation athlete is being held to an unrealistic standard. Believing that the criticisms against Sanders have reached a point of ridiculousness, Johnson attempted to highlight the absurdity of the recent reports.
“They nitpicking. They’re nitpicking on stuff that had nothing to do with the game of football. They done went back and talked to your elementary teacher. Your elementary teacher said you used to talk back in class and they said, ‘You know what? We can’t draft him…. Oh, you used to skip class? Yea, that’s a character issue, that’s a flaw.’ Man, stop playing.”
Having Coach Prime as a father may have certainly helped Sanders to develop a following, but his hard work and on-field performances are what allowed him to keep it. Considering that the Browns haven’t won a playoff game since 1989, their aversion to taking a quarterback is particularly baffling.
Nevertheless, Sanders is set to bring a precise passing game with him, regardless as to where he may go on April 24th.
The two teams most likely to draft Shedeur Sanders
With the Browns having another former Buffalo in mind, in addition to the Giants having signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to a pair of short-term contracts, the Las Vegas Raiders and the New Orleans Saints appear to be the new favorites to call Sanders’ name on night one of the draft.
The Raiders certainly need all of the help that they can get, but it’ll likely take several years and numerous additions to other key positions before they can begin to assert that they are a quarterback away from playoff contention. However, Las Vegas is the only other team with an immediate need for a signal caller who also has a top-10 draft pick.
The Saints, on the other hand, seem to be an incredibly favorable landing spot. Derek Carr is entering the third year of his contract, which could potentially be his final year with the team. Meanwhile, they have also recently hired Kellen Moore as their new head coach. As perennial contenders in the NFC South, the Saints appear to offer everything a rookie quarterback could hope for.
The Saints could see Sanders ride the pine for his first year in the pros before having the reigns turned over to him, a textbook recipe for success in the NFL. Unfortunately, both fans and draft analyst alike will have to wait and hear Sanders’ name called before they can have any confidence in knowing where the pocket passer will land and what his future in the big leagues will look like.
