For much of the last few months following the draft, many pundits have continued to spout that Shedeur Sanders was a first-round talent who fell to the fifth round because of a roulette of different reasons, not limited to: his father, his perceived arrogance, his presence on social media, or his wealth.
While one cannot know the individual thinking of 32 independent franchises, one can analyze their actions in an effort to estimate a consensus. As with a careful study of any subject, one must fight the temptation of being a prisoner of the moment and evaluate historical context to truly place things into perspective.
Shedeur Sanders did not fall out of the first round because of any of the nonsensical reasons that are frequently cited. The NFL's not scared of a prospect with an outspoken father or a prospect with money. The NFL can notoriously look past red flags, even objective ones of much greater significance, if the talent is right.
Shedeur Sanders fell on talent, not talk - history makes that clear
In the 2009 NFL Draft, the New York Jets selected Mark Sanchez out of USC. At the time, Sanchez's own coach, Pete Carroll, told the media and Sanchez alike that he was not ready for the rigors of the NFL and would greatly benefit from an extra year at the Coliseum.
Furthermore, he was arrested for sexual assault as a freshman, although those charges were dropped. He still faced team-administered discipline for underage drinking and providing false identification. Despite these warts on his scouting report, Sanchez went #5 in the first round.
In the 2014 NFL Draft, a selection Browns fans remember very well is the selection of Texas A&M gunslinger, Johnny Manziel. Scouts were peeved with Manziel's celebrity (sound familiar?), naming his association with Drake and his presence courtside at NBA games.
Just a few months before draft day, Nolan Nawrocki authored a scathing report of Manziel's intangibles in a piece for NFL.com.
"Carries a sense of entitlement and prima-donna arrogance seeking out the bright lights of Hollywood. Is known to party too much and is drawn to all the trappings of the game. ... Has defied the odds and proven to be a great college-system quarterback, but still must prove he is willing to work to be great, adjust his hard-partying, Hollywood lifestyle and be able to inspire his teammates by more than his playmaking ability."Nolan Nawrocki, NFL.com
The Browns erred greatly when they selected Manziel #22 in the first round anyway.
In 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to select a local product, quarterback Jameis Winston out of Florida State. In late 2013, Winston was accused of and investigated for sexual assault, in a case that was ultimately dismissed in late 2014, before a civil suit that was ultimately settled in 2016, after Winston was in the NFL. He went #1 in the first round of the 2015 draft.
In 2018, the beloved Cleveland Browns were in familiar territory - absent a franchise QB - and they selected Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was described as "cocky" and "arrogant" by NFL scouts.
Mayfield was also notoriously captured on video running from police in an incident where he was eventually arrested for public intoxication. These red flags were enough for pundits to make claims against his character, but despite these so-called red flags, the Browns drafted him #1 in the first round.
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Finally, in that very same draft class was another signal caller with an eerily similar commentary surrounding him as Shedeur Sanders. That would be none other than UCLA's Josh Rosen.
In the search for some insight about the buzz surrounding Rosen, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported an interaction he had with a team executive where the ideology of "don’t ever recruit a kid with a three-car garage and a long driveway." was invoked. The message was clear.
In fact, Rosen's own college coach, Jim Mora Jr., gave Rosen a seemingly back-handed compliment right before draft day.
"He needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn't get bored. He's a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they're good. Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability, and he's a really good kid."Jim Mora Jr.
Despite commentary that is strikingly similar to what follows Shedeur Sanders' around, Josh Rosen was still selected #10 overall, in the first round.
The takeaway here is that the NFL and its 32 franchises just didn't see Sanders as a first-round draft choice. In an ultra-competitive environment, certain teams will always be willing to look the other way on certain things if they think the talent is worth it, gaining any advantage they can in the process.
Now, a different case can be made that Shedeur Sanders, who scouts viewed as a mid-round draft talent, derailed his own stock when he reportedly treated the draft process as recruitment rather than the interview that it is. It is a delicate balance - the more talent a player is perceived to have, the more leeway they are afforded.
It is also plausible that the hoopla that follows Sanders around was a deterrent to teams interested in investing in him as a developmental QB to sit behind an established player. However, the notion that Sanders was a bona fide first-round talent is fiction.
In actuality, Sanders was ultimately not viewed as a first-round choice by the NFL. At this point, it is all water under the bridge and entirely irrelevant. Shedeur will be judged by what he does on the grass in practice and what he puts on tape under the lights. Time will tell whether he turns into the league's next Brock Purdy or fades out like the majority of late-round quarterbacks.
Regardless of intent, if Shedeur Sanders is involved, it's going to be a spectacle, so buckle in for the ride.