Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a lot of media negativity surrounding him. From reports about his character to his preparedness on the field and in the film room, many factors came out that may have impacted his draft stock.
Sanders was widely expected to be a first or second-round pick. No one saw his draft slide coming.
When all was said and done, Sanders slipped all the way to the fifth round. Finally, the Browns traded up to get him at No. 144 overall.
Many opinions have come out about Sanders and the slide he endured in the draft. Now, his dad, the legendary Deion Sanders, has spoken out and aggressively defended his son.
Read more:Browns Reporter Doesn't Hold Back Harsh Criticism of Dillon Gabriel
During an appearance speaking with Asante Samuel, the older Sanders did not hold back his thoughts on how much negativity emerged about his son.
"They want to create these narratives and create these stories and then attach them to a kid that ain't never done nothing wrong," Sanders said.
"When you sit up there and say something like, he went in a meeting unprepared. Like, dude, Shedeur Sanders? Who's had six different coordinators, who has still functioned and went up, leveled up, every time we brought somebody new in, and you gonna tell me he was unprepared? You gonna tell me he had on headphones?"
He makes some good points, but the slide happened. Sanders is now involved in a major quarterback competition in Cleveland.
Along with Sanders, the Browns also have fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett included in the competition. Deshaun Watson is also still on the roster.
Read more:Former Browns Star Nick Chubb Linked to Surprising NFC Team
Sanders has looked good early on in rookie minicamp and OTAs. However, he has a long uphill battle ahead of him to earn playing time in his first NFL season. Despite that fact, there are many who believe that Cleveland will play him at some point.
To his dad's point, Sanders put together huge college numbers. In four years, two with Jackson State and two with Colorado, he completed 70.1 percent of his pass attempts for 14,347 yards, 134 touchdowns, and just 27 interceptions.
Now, he's focused on proving that he can become a franchise quarterback in the NFL. There would be no better way to prove all the critics wrong than by developing and being the long-term guy for the Browns.