Shedeur Sanders considers himself a program changer.
And that apparently turned off some NFL groups.
NFL Community insider Peter Schrager revealed that Sanders — the son of Colorado coach and NFL Corridor of Famer Deion Sanders — irked some franchises with these remarks in the course of the mix.
“His point at the combine, and it rubbed people wrong, the way he had some bravado at it, is that he changes places when he gets there,” Schrager stated on the “Bill Simmons Podcast” on Tuesday. “So Jackson State, clearly, went from this HBCU that had no assets to instantly being a nationwide title. After which he goes to Colorado and we had one week the place ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ from Fox and ‘GameDay’ had been there, Week 2, vying for actual property in Boulder. It occurs.
“Shedeur has never wavered that he’s a leader and those guys do respect him.”
Sanders has come beneath the microscope main into this yr’s draft, the place he’s hoping to be a prime choice and probably even No. 1.
The mix offered a possibility for Sanders to satisfy with groups and likewise reply reporters’ questions.
He displayed an unwavering confidence that he expects he’ll impress his subsequent group.
“We went from Jackson State to Colorado and changed two programs back-to-back,” Sanders stated, with the “we” referencing his father teaching him at each colleges. “You don’t think I could come to an NFL franchise and change a program again? It’s history. It’s always going to repeat itself.”
That these remarks didn’t land with some groups come as a number of unflattering experiences emerged in latest days relating to Sanders’ demeanor in the course of the mix.
Veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson stated a quarterbacks coach from a group drafting within the first seven slots stated Sanders got here throughout “brash” and “arrogant.”
Nonetheless, she questioned this narrative.
“I’m just sharing that this coach’s personal assessment is the direct opposite from how Sanders came across to many reporters in his press conference with the media at the combine,” Anderson, previously of ESPN, posted on X. “Sanders appeared to go out of his way to acknowledge multiple media members, regardless if they were recognizable or not. He seemed cordial, polite, witty, thoughtful along with being confident (as many athletes are). Alternately, these observations were distinctly different from how another QB prospect came off to some in the media last year in Indy.”
The “brash” and “arrogant” accusations carried slightly completely different weight when NBC fantasy soccer professional Matthew Berry reported comparable sentiments from two people from two completely different groups.
“They both said it was a bad meeting and that he came off as unprofessional and disinterested,” Berry wrote Tuesday. “Each additionally stated that after the assembly they’d a lesser opinion of him than prior. These similar folks each met with (Miami quarterback) Cam Ward as effectively, and each stated they beloved Ward, and it was a terrific assembly.
“When talking about the projected top two QB picks this year, every team I spoke to loves Ward. And I didn’t hear a ton of positive about Sanders.”
Schrager did observe that Sanders just isn’t seen as a “diva” and has been praised for being powerful whereas enjoying behind a porous offensive line for his father at Colorado.
“Not a diva. Don’t read any of that s–t. He’s not a diva,” Schrager stated. “This guy chose to go to Jackson State.”
Nonetheless, these detrimental experiences may assist clarify why Sanders is seemingly now being labeled because the No. 2 quarterback on this class behind Ward.
Ward owns -280 odds at FanDuel to be the No. 1 decide — which belongs to the Titans for now — and Sanders is now the fourth possibility behind Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter with 19/1 odds.
Schrager’s understanding is groups see Sanders nearer to fringe first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss than Ward.
The 2025 NFL Draft begins April 24 in Inexperienced Bay, Wis.
“And then it’s a giant dropoff (from Ward) from what I can gather,” Schargers stated, “and then just viewed as prospects, not necessarily how they turn out, Shedeur, Jaxson Dart and then a bunch of unknowns.”
