Just over a year ago, Shedeur Sanders infamously fell to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Expected to go in the first round, or the second round at least, the Colorado product instead did not get picked up until Day 3. Amid this slip,reports came out suggesting Shedeur purposely didn’t do well in pre-draft interviews with teams he didn’t want to play for and rubbed some the wrong way before he was ultimately taken by the Browns.
Through this process, Shedeur’s dad, Deion Sanders, says his son “went through hell.”
“It was some ignorant things came out about him pre-draft and all that, and that was a lie," Shedeur’s dad Deion told Garrett Bush during an appearance on ‘The Barbershop.’ “Like, he would never go into a meeting with headphones on. He would never go into a meeting unprepared. That’s just not who he is. There’s no way he could accomplish the things he accomplished without being prepared.”
“A lot of things that was said … it bothered me, but it didn't bother him,” Deion added. “He just wanted the opportunity to get on the grass and do his thing. I’m proud of him as a man.”
After the Browns selected Shedeur, he joined the team as a fourth-string quarterback behind Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett. Sheduer finally got his opportunity late in his rookie season after Gabriel sustained an injury. He started seven games, going 3-4 while completing 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 picks. Shedeur definitely displayed some flashes during his time on the field, but still has plenty of room to develop as a quarterback.
It was recently reported that Deshaun Watson has the “inside track” to become the Browns’ starter, though coach Todd Monken has since refuted that notion, noting that there will be a competition. Deion says Shedeur loves and thrives on competition, which will be key as he looks to lock up the starting job ahead of the season.
Deion is looking forward to meeting with Monken in the near future as a coach, and praised the Browns’ new coach for being a “straight shooter.”
“II want to meet him. Because I think it’s vital that as a coach, not the dad, I can tell him a few things about [Shedeur], how to get him going,” Deion said. “That wasn’t asked of me a year ago. I don’t understand it. Even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville and I’ve had him for the last three [seasons], don’t you think you would want to talk to me to ask me what gets him going and what backs him off? You would want to know that. I anticipate, and I can’t wait to have that conversation with Coach Monken.”
Overall, Deion noted that he really likes Cleveland for his son and what they’re putting together. While he noted the Browns need stability at quarterback and on the offensive line, he was complimentary of general manager Andrew Berry, saying he loves his process and the draft classes they’ve put together over the past two years. The Browns do appear to be trending in the right direction as a franchise, but the quarterback question looms. Perhaps Shedeur can emerge as that answer in the near future.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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