Shedeur Sanders’ draft slide continues to generate discussion across the football world a week after the NFL Draft began. The Colorado quarterback experienced a series of disappointments, first missing out on a first-round selection, then becoming the victim of a prank call during night two.
Sanders has been a polarizing figure throughout the pre-draft process.
CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reported some teams felt Sanders didn’t fully engage during the interview process.
“At some of those [combine] meetings with certain teams that maybe Shedeur Sanders didn’t really want to go to… I was told that he more or less sandbagged in those interviews… I don’t know if he didn’t take them seriously, what it was, but he did not give it his all in some of those interviews,” Jones said.
Sanders’ fifth-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has led to questions about his NFL future.
Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho suggested Sanders faces an uphill battle.
“Sometimes as a 5th, 6th, 7th round pick, they are already cutting you. You are a camp body, you are there for training camp,” Acho said.
The criticism began before the draft when an anonymous coach made negative comments about Sanders.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce defended Sanders on the New Heights podcast.
“I think whoever the f**king anonymous person that’s f**king saying this should f**king come out and say who they were. Like if you’re gonna leak that f**king sh*t, f**king be the one that says,” Kelce said.
Despite accusations that Sanders appeared entitled during team interviews, Kelce, one of the NFL’s most prominent players, has publicly offered his support to the rookie quarterback.
