It took most of three days and 144 selections, but finally, Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback from Colorado, went off the board. What happened?
The first angle I would approach this from is that he is the Coach’s son and has never really experienced an offensive scheme that has not had his father’s name on it. Once he begins studying an all-new playbook, many questions need to be asked, though with the Browns, I think that task will be easier.
Shedeur Sanders (photo courtesy CBS Sports)
I think that being the son of the Coach carries a connotation, which is explained best by YouTube’s Domingo Ayala. Still, as a summary, when the Coach’s kid hits a high fly ball into center for an 8-5 RBI double play, the Coach will say, “¡Qué batazo, junior!” When the Coach’s kid throws the ball 45′ wide left and into row 6, the Coach will complain about the 1st baseman “not trying hard enough to catch the ball.” That can be removed with good play, significant effort, and leadership; however, it wasn’t the end of the world for his draft stock.
Looking at his Combine scores, he had a 63 score in Athleticism, which is 14th for signal-callers. Joseph Zucker from Bleacher Report said Sanders also opted out of doing drills that may have improved his score. On the other hand, his score for Production was 87, which seems to carry most weight in his overall score of 79.
However, I think that score was somewhat misleading because of the Generalized Adjusted Net Yards (GANY) he had during the 2024 season, especially averaged per attempt. GANY is Adjusted Net Yards, but with sack yardage set to the NFL average over the previous three years, which is -6.642 yds, according to data from Pro Football Reference. His mark of 4145 GANY is the 10th highest among Power 4/5 QBs over the last three drafts, calculated from data from ESPN.com using Excel, and slightly above the average for 1st rounders.
However, with how often the Buffaloes threw the ball last season, Shedeur ends up on 7.987 GANY per attempt, well below the average of 9.493 GANY by those drafted in the 1st round. That mark only beat Drake Maye and Anthony Richardson, who combined for over 1000 rushing yards during their last seasons at the FBS level.
Courtesy Cleveland Browns
Also, teams weren’t looking to reach for a quarterback, unlike last year, where six came off the board in the first 12 picks, and the next wasn’t until Round 5. A lot of teams avoided the position altogether, taking other positions of need first, before circling back to the signal-caller. Also, many people have realized that QB isn’t as important as a position when it comes to getting most of your offensive output, with most starting QBs scoring around 15-20 fantasy points per week, according to FantasyPros. That realization further depresses the value of the quarterback. In turn, teams are more willing to wait to draft one later and instead use the higher pick on a lineman or another skill position player that will have a more significant effect on the game.
Lastly, the way he treated the process likely cost him somewhat. The NFL Combine and Draft are, in my opinion, the most unique job interview and hiring process globally. No matter what you think, jobs are not guaranteed, especially in this turbulent economic environment. I can tell you first-hand as a job seeker that it is rough out there. However, when you get to the Combine, you have done the most challenging job of finding companies willing to pay for your services.
However, according to a report by Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report, Sanders “sandbagged” interviews because he didn’t want to be drafted by specific teams. In this industry, everyone knows each other, and they talk and consider the attitude and the level of respect you give them. Effectively, interviewing with the Giants is as vital as interviewing with the Cowboys, 49ers, Steelers, or any other team. Moreover, the flippant attitude continued on Draft Day, when instead of waiting in the Green Room, he ended up at a location completely decked out in his personal brand, making it appear that he viewed himself as more important than the selecting team.
Combining these issues makes it easier to understand why things turned out as they did. Before the draft, many analysts had Sanders in their Top 10, including Mel Kiper Jr. (9), Eric Edholm (9), Chad Reuter (6), and Jordan Reid (9). Charles Davis of NFL.com was one of the exceptions.
Personally, I think you can chalk this up to being human. We tend to see trends that aren’t significant enough to keep because they have always been done. We tend to see the positive in life to the point that the negative (in existence and magnitude) is ignored until it’s too late. That’s something to work on, not only on Draft Day, but also in life.
