Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is not focused on negative opinions following his fall in the 2025 NFL Draft and has one goal during rookie minicamp this month — put his best foot forward in competition against fellow draft pick, Dillon Gabriel. Sanders was asked about his message to critics and doubters over the weekend after his first practice in the NFL.
"Thank you for saying that because my job here isn't to prove people wrong, I'm proving myself right," Sanders said. "I fully believe it. What those people say, that's just their opinions. I don't truly care. They don't really live in my mental space about that type of stuff. It really doesn't do anything for me."
In a story last week week from USA Today, several anonymous front office personnel members explained why Sanders was skipped over by a number of franchises in favor of other quarterbacks.
"I think his dad's involvement hurt him," one executive said. "Some of the things his dad said, I think that weighed on people's minds."
According to most who were interviewed by USA Today, the slide had nothing to do with Sanders' talent level.
"It's not about being a brand," another executive told the media outlet. "It's about being a teammate and earning a job."
During an interview on an Awful Announcing podcast, ESPN draft reporter Matt Miller said the NFL would "humble anyone," specifically mentioning Sanders' decision to skip individual throwing drills at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year as a misstep that affected his draft stock.
Several other negative reports surfaced involving Sanders following his draft tumble, including a revelation coming from NFL analyst Ross Tucker. He claimed Sanders missed a television production meeting ahead of last season's Colorado-Colorado State game, a peculiar absence given the star quarterback's importance to the Buffaloes' success and game plan.
Following various reports of multiple teams being "turned off" during the interview process with Sanders, his stock dropped in various mock drafts leading into the start of the event and continued throughout.
Sanders reportedly earned "unprofessional" and "disinterested" labels during two meetings with NFL teams inside the top seven. This came after Deion Sanders' son was a driving force in Colorado's resurgence with one of college football's best 2024 season performances at the position.
"I think what happened was I had a great interview and a great process with the Browns and that's why they were able to pick me," Shedeur Sanders said after he was selected. "Anything outside the organization is really a non-factor to me now. This is my focus."
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Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top upperclassman quarterback in college football for the 2024 season. The unanimous Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year picked up numerous first-team All-American selections after his record-breaking senior year. Sanders left Colorado as the NCAA's all-time career leader in completion rate with a 71.8% mark, and he paced all quarterbacks last season with a 74% clip.