NFL executives weigh in on Shedeur Sanders: “The best thing to happen might be to get away from his father”

Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been the major storyline of the NFL’s 2025 Draft. Once projected to be a first-round pick, Sanders slid to the fifth round, ultimately being selected 144th overall by the Cleveland Browns.

By now, we all know this. What we don’t know exactly is why. There’s been chatter, but USA Today actually spoke with several NFL executives, and they gave their thoughts on the real reason for Sanders’ shocking slide in the NFL Draft.

NFL execs give their take on Shedeur Sanders draft slide

Those interviewed chose to speak anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the topic. They gave a mix of different reasons, including concerns about Shedeur Sanders’ personality, the influence of his father (NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders), his questionable conduct during interviews, as well as his talent and performance. Even with all that in mind, however, few expected him to slide all the way to the fifth round.

Let’s take a closer look at what was said.

Concerns about Sanders’ personality and arrogance

Several of those interviewed cited Sanders’ flashy image (wearing diamond-studded watches, promoting his brand “2 Legendary”, etc.) as a potential red flag.

“We liked Shedeur,” said one high-level executive. “But you can’t separate the other stuff from the physical abilities. It’s not about being a brand. It’s about being a teammate and earning a job.”

DAMN: TOM BRADY TOLD SHEDEUR SANDERS TO STUDY FILM AND STOP BUYING ROLLS ROYCES.

Deion: “Do you think a college kid needs a Phantom, like a Rolls-Royce???”

Tom: “I think he needs to get his a*ss in the film room & spend as much time in there as possible”pic.twitter.com/99oVvLdT8H

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 4, 2025

“The quarterback’s already getting the money and attention,” said another. “They don’t have to make more attention. It doesn’t play well with your team.”

“All the red flags are there,” said another. “If it was a different position, it probably wouldn’t have the same level of importance.”

At least one NFC team said Sanders refused to interview with them at the NFL Combinequoting Sanders as saying this to a team scout: “You’ve already got a quarterback and you’re not picking in the top 5.” To that executive, Sanders came off as arrogant as well as unrealistic about his own value.

Talent and performance

Which brings us to the next point. Many executives did praise Sanders for his accuracy (he led the nation with a 74% completion rate) and toughness, but several others expressed concerns about his arm strength, decision-making, and sack rate (94 combined in his last two years) due to holding onto the ball too long. On top of that, his leadership style was questioned. They noted that Sanders was overly confident in his abilities.

One executive pointed out that talent typically eclipses “other stuff”, noting that Joe Mixon “slapped a woman on TV and still got drafted in the second round”. In Sanders’ case, however, his talent was not strong enough to save him.

Race

While there have been criticisms and accusations of Sanders’ race playing a factor, one NFL executive countered the argument. Many have pointed out that white quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, despite being flashy, cocky players. But the exec pointed out that Cam Newton, who is Black and whose character was also questioned, was still selected No. 1 overall.

Deion’s influence

While being related to an NFL Hall of Famer would typically aid a young player in their outlook, in Shedeur’s case, his father and college coach Deoin Sanders, seemed to be more of a liability. Coach Prime had spoken out about teams he “wouldn’t allow” his son to play for and ruminated on why some teams repeatedly pick high in the draft.

Some teams expressed concerns over Deion’s outspoken nature and over-involvement.

“I think he had some bad advice from his father,” said one executive. “He needed a traditional agent like other players. He and his dad, they felt like they didn’t need that. I think that affected him.”

Another executive praised Shedeur for how he handled the fallout, but advised that he take some space from Deion.

“The way he reacted as the draft unfolded, I thought he handled himself well,” he said. “The best thing to happen might be to get away from his father and be on his own.”

Sanders’ regrets after NFL Draft

Shedeur Sanders did own up to some of his pre-draft decisions, admitting that he could have done things better.

“I feel like in life, there’s always a way I can improve,” said Sanders. “I’m able to improve. And some things that I (did) seemed right at the time. I could’ve went about it in a different way.”

While one team had rated Sanders as the clear second-best quarterback on their board after Miami’s Cam Ward, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans, in the end, Sanders was the sixth quarterback taken – after Ward, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart (Giants, 25th overall), Louisville’s Tyler Shough (Saints, 40th), Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (Seahawks, 92nd) and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (Browns, 94th).

The Browns justified taking Gabriel over Sanders by saying “fit comes into play”and when they took Sanders, they rationalized that it made sense at that point in the draft.

Despite all the concerns and the shocking slide in the draft, some teams still view Sanders as starter-level talent. If he thrives in the NFL, the Browns may have gotten a major steal in Sanders.