Is Shedeur Sanders drafted? A look at Deion Sanders’ son’s draft progress
Shedeur Sanders has finally been drafted. The Colorado quarterback, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round of the NFL draft.
It came as a shock to many that Sanders slipped this far in the draft. Sanders, the No. 3-ranked quarterback in the NFL Combine, was projected to be a first round pick. Yet, he went undrafted in Thursday's first round and again on Friday, when the second and third rounds took place. The Buffaloes star had to wait for the fifth round to hear his name called.
Despite the major drop in his draft stock, Sanders is excited about the opportunity to play in the NFL. He live-streamed all three days of the draft and jumped up from his seat, cheering with excitement, when his name was called.
Being picked up by the Browns in the fifth round likely wasn't what Sanders expected, but he now has the opportunity to prove his skill set at the next level.
Exploring why Shedeur Sanders slipped to the fifth round of the NFL draft
A projected first-round pick falling to the fifth round is unprecedented, and analysts are struggling to explain exactly why it happened to Shedeur Sanders. Most likely, NFL teams raised both personal and skill issues regarding Sanders.
Ahead of the draft, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said that if Sanders wasn't chosen as early as expected, it would be due to his sacks.
"If I was one of the teams that was drafting Shedeur, I would want to sit down and watch a lot of the plays that led to his sacks," Orlovsky said. "Just have conversations around them, why did they happen? Because, for me, one of the biggest takeaways is there's too many situational, selfish sacks where they're unnecessary at times."
This past season, Sanders was sacked 42 times. As a junior, he had a career-high 52 sacks. In both seasons, he was the nation's most sacked quarterback.
It has also been suggested that Sanders' personality was a problem in his pre-draft interviews. NFL Network shared an anonymous quote from an NFL assistant coach about Sanders' interview.
"The worst formal interview I've ever been in in my life," the anonymous coach said. "He's so entitled. He takes unnecessary sacks. He never plays on time. He has horrible body language. He blames teammates. ... But the biggest thing is, he's not that good."
It remains unclear what exactly caused Shedeur Sanders to slip to the fifth round, but he has now found his new home in Cleveland.