Shedeur Sanders‘ gorgeous fall down the draft board was shortly attributed to a questionable ability set and/or a perceived lack of maturity. ESPN’s Stephen Holder points to one other concern amongst groups: the “circus” that may accompany a Sanders choice.
“Because the Shedeur Sanders saga performed out Friday, I used to be reminded of the times when Tim Tebow was a free agent and there have been claims his outward shows of religion had been being held towards him. What really occurred was extra nuanced. Groups had been reluctant to signal him due to the circus associated to his celeb (on a stage much like Sanders IMO), esp as a probable backup. A few of that’s taking place right here. Thursday’s fall was principally about expertise. Final night time was about one thing else.
“Downside is, this subject turns into extra pronounced the additional he falls. Any staff that picks him at this level can be doing so with the intent of getting Sanders as a backup. That’s going to be an fascinating state of affairs to should handle.”
Holder is adamant that Sanders’ first-round snub was about expertise, however he believes his Day 2 absence was “about one thing else.” The reporter references Tim Tebow‘s free company, noting that groups had been cautious of the eye that naturally follows a “celeb” athlete. Sanders clearly isn’t an actual equal to Tebow, however the well-liked Colorado star will now attract even more attention after out of the blue dropping out of the primary two days of the draft.
Going into the draft, most consultants ranked Sanders because the second-best QB prospect, behind Cam Ward, who was chosen No. 1 general by the Titans. Few thought he would final past the primary spherical, and his slide previous the third spherical shocked the NFL would. He ended up getting chosen by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 general decide. It was particularly shocking to see the Browns seize Sanders, contemplating they drafted Dillon Gabriel on Friday.