Shedeur Sanders was touted as a round one pick in the 2025 draft, but his name wasn’t called until the fifth round. The unexpected draft slide has been widely discussed since, and his brother, Deion Sanders Jr., has weighed in on the criticism Shedeur faced.

“Even people that didn't like him or people that was very critical of his film, you know, that judged it super hard, that might not even judge other people’s film…but judge his super hard,” Sanders Jr. said in the May 24 episode of the Top of the Mook podcast. 

Sanders, a former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, possessed the qualities that made him a desirable prospect. The 6-foot-2 QB had a stunning run in the 2024 season.

He recorded 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns. At the national level, his QBR was 75.5. His performance grouped him with other sought-after prospects like Cam Ward (4,313 yards), Jaxson Dart ( 4,279 yards), and Jalen Milroe (2,844 yards).

However, reports of Sanders' off-field demeanor during pre-draft interviews began to surface. One of the most notable reports was by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.  

On April 28, he recalled that Sanders “didn’t take blame” for a “particularly rough interception” the Indianapolis Colts had “teed up” for him.

In another instance, Sanders did not catch the intentionally placed mistakes, and when “a coach called him on it…the resulting exchange wasn’t pretty.”

It is widely believed that such reports influenced his draft. Sanders’ father and legendary NFL player Deion Sanders even called a reporter for Shedeur’s draft outcome. 

“It didn’t help in the draft when you had him on the show last year. It didn’t help,” Deion asked

Kevin Clark on his show in February. “You were probably one of the ones that k***** him. Did you sabotage my son?”

Sanders was picked 144th overall by the Cleveland Browns. After starting in the last seven games last year, he is battling for this season’s QB1 role. This competition has upset one expert.

Skip Bayless Is Unhappy With Shedeur Sanders’ Trajectory

Veteran sports commentator Skip Bayless picked Shedeur Sanders over Deshaun Watson in the Cleveland Browns’ QB1 competition. He also said the Browns’ roster would agree with him.

“I want Shedeur. He earned the right to benefit from this growth, like he’s part and parcel of the growth,” Bayless said on his appearance on The Arena: Gridiron. “If they did a silent vote in the locker room, they’d vote for Shedeur. I’m sure. It’s the energy in the building, it’s the growth.” 

Sanders, benched until Week 10, replaced a concussed Dillon Gabriel and started the remaining games. He passed for 1,400 yards, threw seven touchdowns, and had 10 interceptions. 

Sanders’ pro journey has not been easy. He now faces a critical training camp battle to secure the starting job. Do you think his criticism has been fair? Tell us in the comments.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community! 

Written by

Akanksha Biradar