"They used Shedeur Sanders for ratings" - NFL fans react to staggering 7,300,000 draft viewership after Browns QB's slide
Shedeur Sanders' draft plummet was one of the biggest storylines of this year's event. From being a projected top-three prospect, Coach Prime's son ultimately became the sixth quarterback to be drafted by an NFL team. The Cleveland Browns ended up acquiring Shedeur in the fifth round with the No. 144 pick.
So far, there has not been any clear, conclusive evidence behind Shedeur Sanders' draft fall. On Monday, My Mixtapez shared a post on X/Twitter talking about the viewership of this year's NFL draft.
According to them, since Coach Prime's son remained undrafted, Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft averaged around 7.3 million viewers across all platforms. This was reportedly a 40% jump in viewership compared to last year's draft.
Fans soon shared their thoughts on the jump in viewership online. They quickly came up with conspiracy theories about how this was the reason why the former Colorado QB fell in the draft as a fifth-round prospect.
"They used this man for ratings smh," one fan commented.
"Yes definitely because of Sanders," another fan said.
"Ahhh that's what they were after..." one fan wrote.
"Alla a part of a plan staged. He more popular now than when he first started. This has created a movement around him of support before he even gets started. They know what they're doing it's entertainment. People are falling for it," another fan said.
"They knew exactly what they were doing, it's sad," a fan commented.
"This is how we knew NFL teams were playing our faces. We've been watching this kid," one fan wrote.
Despite the fall, Shedeur Sanders was grateful for the opportunity to play as a professional in the league:
Former NFL star shares stern warning with Shedeur Sanders ahead of NFL debut
Former NFL star Cam Newton shared a strong warning with the ex-Colorado quarterback. On Sunday's episode of "The 4th and 1" podcast, Newton talked about how this will be the quarterback's first time without his father coaching him from the sidelines.
Newton also stated that Shedeur will have to face the various adversities that come with being a player in the league.
"It's the first time in Shedeur's life that, as a grown man, he's not being coached by his dad, and that's a lot of impact," Newton said. "Daddy ain't going to be able to save you, bro.
"So, how does he take that on as a challenge to say people are gonna look at me? They're gonna critique me for everything. I'm already coming in with this mentality or this aura that I'm larger than life, and rightfully so...But at the end of the day, dog, this is the big leagues," he added.
Shedeur Sanders began his collegiate journey at Jackson State in 2021, where his dad served as the head coach for three seasons. He and his brother, Shilo, then accompanied their dad to Boulder to become a part of the Colorado Buffaloes after "Coach Prime" took over as the head coach in 2023.