One of the most polarizing draft prospects of the decade has been Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders was mocked as high as No. 3 overall, but fell to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round …
And was the Browns' second quarterback selected in the draft.
Evaluations of Sanders seem to be all over the place, both on and off the field. Some see Sanders as a potentially franchise-changing talent, while others see Sanders as a backup who could compete for a fringe starting spot.
There of course is the off-the-field element for Sanders. Sanders received heavy criticism for the way he seemed to treat his teammates, once throwing his offensive line under the bus after a game against Nebraska. Sanders also criticized a former teammate on X.
"Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best." Sanders wrote.
Then, there is Sanders' father, his college head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. "Coach Prime" has been something of an enigma in the coaching space, first in his post at Jackson State and then at Colorado, both stops coaching his son Shedeur.
To Sanders' credit, he's been very successful coaching at the collegiate level, boasting a 40-18 career record. Coach Prime, like his quarterback son, has been very outspoken and disruptive in the media, which posed a concern for a lot of draft analysts.
After selecting Sanders in the fifth round, Browns general manager Andrew Berry was asked at a press conference if the personality and platform of Sanders' father Deion had an impact on his draft stock. Berry didn't speak on other team's evaluations, but assured the press that it was not a factor for the Browns.
“I can’t say if that was a factor or not for other teams, but that was not a significant factor for us,” Berry said.
“Our personal relationships and interactions with Deion, that’s really been all positive from our perspective,” Berry said. “And I mean that organizationally, not just me and Kevin. Really all of us who have interacted with Deion, and the people out in Colorado. …
“We don’t typically penalize prospects for their parents.”
That’s cute. But Deion isn’t just a parent. He’s Deion. And our NFL sources tell us that the Dallas Cowboys legend as a possible “meddlesome dad” did play a role in the QB’s plunge.
But in Cleveland? That’s the right thing to say … now.
