NFL Icon’s Bold Claim Against Shedeur Sanders’ Draft Freefall As Justin Jefferson Clears Stance on Browns QB

On Thursday night, Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders stood under the spotlight, rocking leather, diamonds, and full confidence. Family, Colorado, and fans all believed his name would be called early. But it didn’t happen. Day 2 came and went. Still nothing. By Saturday, round five, Sanders was in his backyard in Canton, Texas. Dressed down in a cutoff tee, football tucked under one arm, phone in the other. And finally, he got a real call.

Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry popped up on FaceTime, with a direct statement, “Hey, I know it’s been a long weekend. We’re going to take you off the board here. All right, brother?” Sanders, who was waiting for his name to be called, finally took a sigh of relief, as he replied, “Yes sir, let’s do it.” On the 144th pick overall, Deion Sanders’ son was selected by the Browns. This freefall puzzled fans, as many analysts questioned the NFL Draft and the teams’ decision to skip a good QB. Even former 3 time NFL All-Pro, Shawne Merriman, also talked about it during a new episode of the Up & Adams Show.

Merriman even made a bold claim that there were a few teams who were eager to get Sanders early in the draft. He said, “So my network, Lifestyle Sports TV, we have rights to these West Shrine Bowl practices. And so we live-stream the entire practice for four days. And when I tell you the first two or three days of those practices, I’ve never seen it like that. It’s never been like that. The Shrine Bowl, every NFL personnel, GM, you name it, was there.”

Recalling the team’s eagerness to see Shedeur Sanders, the ex-player added, “And I talked to Brian Daboll. And I also talked to the GM there. And I didn’t tell you that between the Giants and the Titans they would not leave Shedeur alone to the point where I was almost tripping over their digital people with cameras because they were in our way. They were trying to get, they were just trying to get as close as they were to Shedeur. So I knew that they were very high on Shedeur. I don’t know what happened from the East-West shrine bowl into the draft.”

So, as per Merriman, something changed, but no one really knows what. Well, perhaps the fact that he skipped his homework, in the Giants’ case. But teams were definitely interested – Shedeur Sanders was the guy everyone showed up to see, even though he wasn’t practicing. Cameras were on him, scouts were watching his every move from the sidelines. According to him, the Giants and the Titans were all in. They were locked in on the QB, and he was supposed to be their pick. But then something shifted.

As per the reports, maybe the interviews didn’t go well, maybe skipping the East-West Shrine Bowl hurt him. Some little draft-time chatter picked up and may have messed things up. Merriman didn’t have all the answers, but he was sure of one thing: Shedeur Sanders was meant to be a first-rounder, and both those teams were ready to make it happen. Nevertheless, the Browns chose him in the fifth round, and guess what? It’s good for him. Wait….what?

Yes, as per Merriman, “Shedeur can’t see it now, but him flipping past where he slipped to might have been the best thing that has ever happened to him.” Well, it’s because “When he ends up being a starter, because he is, he’s going to be the starter at some point, the expectations now, the weight is off his shoulders. I feel that right now, Shedeur Sanders is in this position where he can’t lose. He can only get the fifth-round draft pick, got all this hype, great. He slid to the fifth. So, how much do we expect from a fifth-rounder?” Hence, Adams replied, “Just go in there, undersell, overdeliver, and maybe he will.”

Yes! That’s how Sanders can rock the NFL stage, as lower expectations could help him rise even more. A similar thought was also shared by a Vikings star.

Justin Jefferson fires up Shedeur Sanders

What can we say, Justin Jefferson is meant to be a hype man. Just recently, he encouraged the Australian F1 driver, Oscar Piastri, to win and try his “Griddy.” And now, Jefferson has another hype message, for NFL newcomer Shedeur Sanders.

During a recent interview, Jefferson said, “I definitely thought that he should’ve been drafted in the first or second round.” Nevertheless, according to him, this should work as a motivation for Sanders, as he quipped, “It’s just more fire for him and more chip on his shoulder that he can use going into the league.”

That’s right. Everyone saw it – Shedeur Sanders dropped hard, and that hurt. He was once expected to go early, but round after round passed, and nothing happened. It got so bad, people started whispering he might not get picked at all. That didn’t happen, but the fall was enough to shake his belief in himself. A lot of folks now doubt if he’s got what it takes at the next level. But not Jefferson and Shawne Merriman. And maybe, just maybe, that belief will carry more weight than all the noise around him!