Shedeur Sanders feels disrespected by the reports surfacing trying to smear his character and the unfavorable opinions of scouts and analysts concerning his ceiling as an NFL quarterback. However, this could all be part of the game plan.
If it isn’t then he still isn’t as disrespected as Lamar Jackson was as Heisman winner coming out of Louisville in the 2018 NFL Draft. While most quarterbacks face questions about their ability or attitude, analysts and scouts had the audacity to ask Lamar if he would be willing to switch positions. Instead of focusing on his all-world ability as a dual-threat weapon, old stereotypes about uncanny athleticism limiting the cerebral execution of pro quarterbacks prevailed.
RELATED: Bill Polian Contradicts Himself in Assessing Lamar Jackson
Celebrated GM Bill Polian called him a “wide receiver.” Polian appeared on ESPN’s Outside The Lines, saying this about Jackson;
“Short and a little bit slight,” Polian said. “Clearly, clearly not the thrower that the other guys are. The accuracy isn’t there.”
Polian, who served as vice chairman of the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2011, was the same celebrated GM who said QB Johnny Manziel, at 5-11, should have gone as high as No. 4 in the 2014 NFL draft.
Polian went as far as to say on ESPN’s Outside The Lines, that Jackson would make a better wide receiver than QB, which is some real oldschool and outdated and disrespectful thinking.
He also said the 6-foot-3 Jackson was too short for the NFL, then followed that up by saying Jackson’s accuracy was bad, forgetting that Jackson’s 59.1 completion percentage was higher than that of Wyoming QB Josh Allen, who was projected to go as high as fifth.
This negative banter caused Jackson to drop to the fifth and final quarterback chosen in the first round. Looking back, the two-time NFL MVP is better than all of the quarterbacks chosen ahead of him, with the exception of ’24 League MVP Allen. The two are considered neck and neck in ability and among the Top 5 signal callers in the game.
Shedeur Sanders Draft Drop Is A Good Thing: Who Wants To Play For Cleveland Browns or NY Giants?
Once considered a Top 3 draft pick, Shedeur Sanders’ draft stock has supposedly dropped due to many different factors. He has been dissected and nitpicked to a degree that most would call overkill. The fact that he is the son of Deion Sanders, one of the most polarizing figures in sports, has blown his draft situation out of proportion. It’s also however distracted folks from seeing why Shedeur dropping to a team more suited for his immediate success is a win for the Sanders family and what his dad Deion hoped for all along,
With team such as the NY Giants and Cleveland Browns so desperately needing quarterbacks and Shedeur performing in college about as well as any top NFL prospect can be asked too, it doesn’t make sense that he would drop to the bottom of the first round in a couple of months in a draft that is considered a weak one for quarterbacks. Unless his team has made it quite clear he doesn’t want to play for those squads.
Smack me if I’m saying something crazy.
Who wants to be a Cleveland Brown or a New York Giants quarterback right now? Only a desperado or someone with something to prove like Cam Ward, who will be the No. 1 overall pick and go to a Tennessee Titans team that can’t seem to get its offensive pieces and game plan together after blowing few picks on high-round QB talent in Malik Willis and Will Levis.
RELATED: “Willis Has Boom-or-Bust Potential” | Malik Willis Should Thank Lamar Jackson For His NFL Draft Rise
Where Will Shedeur Land? New Orleans Saints at No. 9 Or Pittsburgh Steelers at No.21
Both Shedeur and Cam will surely be better than those guys. With the pressures of rebuilding a broken franchise out of the way, Shedeur’s lower-round options, which include the Pittsburgh Steelers at 21 (if he gets past the New Orleans Saints at 9) bode much better. Pittsburgh is a strong organization with one of the greatest head coaches to ever do it in Mike Tomlin. He’s been thirsting for a QB with Shedeur’s confidence and ability. There are weapons in place and always a game plan where Shedeur won’t be asked to do too much too soon. But he has several elite deep threats in Pickens and free agent DK Metcalf and has no issues slinging it.
The Saints always have a solid team and are one sensational quarterback away from seriously contending in the NFC. Alvin Kamara helps relieve Sanders of some rookie pressure and that could shape up to be a fun offense.
Reports say, however, that Sanders is not expected to be selected by New Orleans in the first round. The information came from NFL Draft guru Todd McShay on his YouTube channel. “New Orleans will not draft Shedeur Sanders at No. 9,” he said.
Both of those teams would be ideal fits for Shedeur and much better landing spots than the other Top 10 candidates. The criticisms of Shedeur have been overblown and the triumph of Lamar Jackson over some absurd, clout-chasing, downright disrespectful draft takes is proof that we all should believe what our eyes tell us and not what some dopey commentator getting paid a bag to play with your emotions says.
With Shedeur joining the Steelers, Mike Tomlin couldn’t ask for a better draft than to have a player once considered the top pick, or a top 3 pick fall to you at 21 after some curious narratives were planted and then spread.
What if Coach Prime was behind this all along? I wouldn’t be surprised.
MORE:
