The NFL is prestigious, but not for everyone, and Deion Sanders Jr. would agree. He played at SMU from 2013 to 2015, set kick-return records, but stopped after his junior year when coach Chad Morris arrived. The NFL never drafted him, so he became an entrepreneur instead. On the other hand, his younger brother, Shedeur, took the opposite path. Shedeur fell from a projected first-round pick to the fifth round at No.144 in the 2025 NFL Draft, joined the Cleveland Browns. But he’s also had to face some harsh truths.

“Even people that didn’t like him, or people that, or not even say didn’t like, that was very critical of his film, you know, that judged it super hard, that might not even judge other people’s film that hard, but judge his super hard and said he could go third round, right?” Sanders Jr. said on One of Them Ones with Mr. Organik on May 24.

“But even those people eventually was like, ‘Okay, what’s going on? Like, this is kind of crazy. I gave him a third-round grade. Y’all tripping.'”

During his rookie season, he recorded 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 23 sacks in just 8 games. But the farther Shedeur slipped in the draft, the more trolls came his way. That’s when Deion Sanders Jr. said that Sheduer would have to understand a very important message.

“This is now you not just…you not rich kids no more. Now, now you a black man that’s fighting the system. Now, now you a black man that deals with every, that deals with every, a person, a black man that deals with everything all black men deal with, right? You got to overcome. You got to do this. You got to do that.”

Shedeur Sanders is not just Shedeur Sanders. He’s also Deion Sanders’ son, who was much more affluent than others in his draft class. That tag accompanied him throughout his college career, and still does in his pro days. That is one very big reason why he sees so much hate coming his way even now. The draft was a humbling experience because no team considered his weighted last name until the Cleveland Browns did in the fifth round.

Deion Jr. also addressed the prank call incident that unfolded during draft weekend. But Sanders had already built some thick skin by then.

“He held his head high,” Deion Jr. said. “He didn’t show it phased him at all. And took the mentality like, ‘Cool. I’mma show y’all.’” And by the mentality is going to serve him well in the NFL. Shedeur has found himself in a reality where he’s had to earn everything from scratch.

That reality became obvious when Sanders arrived at a crowded Browns quarterback room. Veteran Joe Flacco was clearly penciled in as the starter. Not many had hopes that Sanders would even get to start the season, because he had to compete with third-round draftee Dillon Gabriel. At that time, he was a much better player than Sanders, having been a Heisman finalist.

Shedeur Sanders was just another rookie in the NFL at that time.

But things began to change. With Deshaun Watson unavailable and Joe Flacco traded midseason, the battle came down to the rookies. Gabriel started briefly before being benched for Sanders.

He could only start eight games that season, but it helped turn the narrative about him. After the Week 14game against the Tennessee Titans, some of those trollers might have begun seeing him in a better light. Sanders also messed up during the season, but was the one the Browns stuck with till the end.

Not to mention, carrying the Sanders name brings pressure, and Deion Sanders Jr. knew this firsthand. His father, Deion Sr., never stressed about his NFL draft. He held all the leverage and could choose Atlanta because he was also a baseball star, but the New York Yankees drafted him a year earlier.

He never panicked over his sons’ draft odysseys either. Still, the Browns QB faced heavy negativity, while there were talks of how safety Shilo might go undrafted, and Deion knew exactly what they’d face.

“You’ve got to understand, when that last name is on your back, you’re going to be attacked and ridiculed by naysayers,” Sanders told The Associated Press back in April 2025. But he knows his sons are ready.

“They’re built for this,” he said. They learned to handle criticism and tune out the hostility. Now, although Shedeur was far from the hero his father was, he’s certainly won fans over. He’s still building toward African-American representation in the league.

Year two would’ve been easier if Deshaun Watson had stayed injured. Watson returned healthy. Shedeur faces him again. The staff knows what he can do. Watson might steal the QB1 crown. Coach Todd Monken’s system could change everything. Maybe both QBs see starter time. Who knows.

Monken has been noting some positive changes in Sanders, claiming that he’s “come a long way” from his rookie season struggles. But with Sanders finding himself at square one for the second time in his career, it’s got a lot of people talking once again.

Shedeur Continues to Battle Polarizing Perception

This month, the Sanders family has rallied behind Shedeur, like they did last year during the draft slide. Deion Sanders appeared in a now-viral podcast to talk about his son, where he said that he’d “been through hell.” Brother Shilo Sanders called out Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot for deeming Deshaun Watson the starter, claiming that it’d demotivate Shedeur.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out an interesting reason why the family is coming out to support him again.

“Following, the slide in the draft, I think it made them even more rabid to support him that way,” he said on May 18. “I think it’s more anti toward there’s more attention given to the guy than there should be,” he said on May 18. “I think that rubs people the wrong way more than not, right? There’s times where I’m like, ‘Are they really just going to talk about Shedeur Sanders all the time in Cleveland?’ Yeah, it gets a little tiring. It’s not always a good thing.”

Even if Sanders tries to keep a low profile, the spotlight is inevitably going to be drawn towards him. The latest drama to surround the QB was his not getting his degree despite being seen in graduation robes. But the University of Colorado confirmed that it is a routine process for students who are in line to graduate. According to the statement, Sanders already has the required number of credits to participate in the ceremony.

When it comes to Sanders, headlines alone are enough to paint a narrative. What’s left to be seen is whether he is able to beat them down this season.