The debate over Shedeur Sanders and his selection in the NFL Draft is still ongoing, despite the selection process of the best amateur football players ending on Saturday after three intense days and seven rounds.
Sanders appeared, according to his talent, as one of the two best quarterbacks of this generation and was a candidate to be chosen in the first round, which would have given him more prestige, a better contract, and would have been a clear indication that he has the potential to be a starter as a rookie.
However, he suffered a slide never seen before for a player so highly rated, and it wasn’t until Saturday in the fifth round and only in the 144th spot, when he was selected by the Cleveland Browns.
The fact that Sanders was not elected in the first round sparked a national debate that is still ongoing.
What did Trump say about Shedeur Sanders?
On Friday, while traveling to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, and prior to the second day of the Draft and the start of the second and third rounds, in a comment on Truth Social, Donald Trump called NFL team owners “stupid” for not selecting Shedeur Sanders, adding that he has “phenomenal genes” as the son of Deion Sanders and should have been picked “immediately by a team that wants to win”.
Despite the country’s president’s criticism, on Friday none of the 32 NFL teams registered Shedeur Sanders’ name on the ballots for the second or third round. The Browns selected him on Saturday in the fifth round, generally when teams are already thinking about backup players or those who will compete for a spot on the final roster during the preseason.
However, in the White House, they seem to have a different view on Trump’s influence in favor of Sanders, as in response to a question from a Fox News correspondent, a media outlet allied with the current U.S. president, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made an unusual statement that sparked various reactions. When asked about the recent selection of quarterback Shedeur Sanders by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the NFL draft, Leavitt hinted that President Donald Trump deserved some credit for this event. “All I will say is that the president issued a statement and a few rounds later he was selected. So I think the facts speak for themselves now,” she said with a smile.
Leavitt, perhaps due to a lack of sports knowledge or because of a communication strategy aimed at highlighting President Trump’s image, did not mention that before Shedeur Sanders, five quarterbacks were selected and one of them, Dillon Gabriel, also in Cleveland.
Why did Sanders fall so much in the draft board?
The fall of Shedeur Sanders to the fifth round generated multiple interpretations. While some scouts attributed his decline to certain athletic limitations, such as lack of strength in his arm, other factors more related to his pre-Draft process were also pointed out.
Reports from the NFL environment indicated that Sanders did not make a good impression during private interviews with teams, and also chose not to participate in key workouts such as the Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl, where other prospects showcased their value in competitive situations. The lack of commitment to the official process was seen by some executives as a red flag.
In addition to that, there is the presence of his father, the controversial Deion Sanders, one of the best cornerbacks of all time in the NFL and Shedeur’s coach at the University of Colorado, who is feared to potentially stir up controversies through statements or social media if his son is not a starter.
The Browns’ preseason training sessions will become a true television reality show due to the presence of Sanders and the fight for the starting position against veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the other rookie Dillon Gabriel.