Long-time analyst and former quarterback Boomer Esiason has weighed in on Shedeur Sanders’ unexpected plummet in the NFL Draft, attributing it to his overconfident demeanor at the NFL Combine.
Despite being projected as a first-round talent and the second-best quarterback in his class, Sanders wasn’t picked until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns with their 144th selection. This marked one of the most surprising twists in NFL Draft history.
Sanders’ dad Deion was left to comfort his QB son with a post-draft message. An unnamed NFL scout revealed that Sanders’ athletic prowess and skills were underwhelming for several teams, and his attitude raised eyebrows.
Esiason disclosed that some NFL owners instructed general managers to strike Sanders from their draft lists, suggesting that even Deion may have inadvertently hindered his prospects.
“They took him off because the owner said ‘Take him off. I don’t want that guy.’ Shedeur Sanders just torpedoed himself,” Esiason said on WFAN Sports Radio. “His attitude off the field at the combine, his dad didn’t help him either. He (Deion) was on a podcast talking about, ‘This is my son. If I can get him to where I want to get him to, I’m going to do that.’
“But when you listen to this kid talk at the combine about, ‘If you want a new culture in your locker room, I’m the guy to do that. I can turn it around.’ I mean, he’s very high on himself. And I think he was very off-putting, off-putting to many coaches and general managers in the league.
“And I’m telling you right now, and I know this after talking to three different personnel people in the NFL this weekend, they didn’t even have him on his board, on their board. They took him off and they took him off because the owner said, ‘Take him off. I don’t want that guy. I don’t want this entitled person on our team,’ and I don’t blame them.”
Sanders sparked controversy with his comments at the NFL Combine, which reportedly impacted how league executives viewed him. “If you ain’t trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t get me,” Sanders said.
“You should know that history repeats itself over and over and over. I’ve done it over and over and over, so it should be no question why an NFL franchise should pick me.”
Despite being expected to be a top pick, Sanders fell to the fifth round of the draft. Deion had previously discussed potential landing spots for his son and even gave his blessing to teams interested in selecting him during an appearance on ‘The Skip Bayless Show’.
“Shedeur has told me, he’s talked to me intently about all the visits he’s had with all the teams, so I know where his heart is, I know where he wants to go,” Sanders told Bayless.
“If it’s New York, it’s New York, if it’s Tennessee, if it’s Cleveland, if it’s still the Raiders, if it’s New Orleans, if it’s any of those teams that are seeking a quarterback, I’m happy with it, man. Because I know what he’s going to do to the organization.”
When questioned on whether he would lend a hand in potential negotiations, Deion remarked: “No, because that’s not God’s will right now. I want Shedeur to do what he’s consistently done — excel against all odds. I like the hating, I like the naysaying, I like the ignorance because it makes us feel better about what we do and it gives him another chip on his shoulder.”
Post NFL Draft, when reflecting on his journey, Shedeur confessed there might have been things he could’ve handled better. “Do I have any regrets?” Shedeur asked. “I feel like in life it’s always a way I can improve. So it’s always in different areas I’m able to improve. And some things that I could have done at the time that seemed right at the time I could have went about in a different way and that was like more during the season and stuff like that.”
