Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was expected to be the second quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft before his unparalleled drop to the fifth round and the Browns at pick 144.
Shedeur’s older brother, safety Shilo Sanders, went undrafted before eventually signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
In an appearance on the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast, the brothers’ father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, got candid about how the draft process felt for the Sanders family.
“It did hurt. But the Bible says God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. There was some foolish stuff that went on, but that gave them something that they needed,” Sanders said.
“Like that edge that Tom [Brady] had, it gave them the edge that you had, it gave them the edge that I have. Folks said we weren’t gonna be nothing. But we had to prove that. It gave them the edge that they needed. Both of them.”
Deion was particularly perturbed by reports that Shedeur wore headphones during his meetings with some teams and the role such reports might have played in his slide to the fifth round.
“When you sit up there and say something like he went into a meeting unprepared, like, dude,” he said. “Shedeur Sanders? Who has had six different [offensive] coordinators, who has still functioned and leveled up every time we brought somebody new in, and you’re going to tell me he was unprepared?
“You’re going to tell me he had on headphones? Anybody who knows my son understands he’s a professional. He’s going to go into a meeting with headphones on? Y’all, come on now.”
It’ll be interesting to see what sort of roles the Sanders brothers can carve out for themselves as professionals.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.