Picture a Mississippi bayou, boiled shrimp, and a 21-year-old kid in jorts playing Nintendo while waiting for a life-changing phone call. That’s where Brett Favre’s NFL story began—a Southern-fried draft day tale as timeless as a Hank Williams ballad. Now, over three decades later, the gunslinger’s unvarnished take on his draft slide has resurfaced, blending nostalgia with a timely pep talk for a new generation of overlooked talent.
Favre’s 1991 draft photo—a mullet-sporting, shorts-clad moment frozen in time—has become NFL folklore. It’s the ultimate underdog snapshot, like Babe Ruth pointing to the fences or Muhammad Ali dancing over Sonny Liston. But behind that grin was a kid who’d just watched two quarterbacks get picked ahead of him. Fast-forward to 2025, and another star QB, Shedeur Sanders, is living his own draft-day freefall. And there you have Favre, tossing wisdom like a Hail Mary into the Twitterverse.
“Heck I didn’t care when I got drafted, I just wanted a team to give me a chance wherever I went,” Favre posted. Meanwhile, he dropped a bombshell on Instagram, sharing his infamous pre-draft photo with a cheeky caption: “Round 2 Overall Pick 33 Probably should’ve done a few push-ups before this pre-draft pic.” The post lit up like a Friday night high school scoreboard, sparking memories of his rocky start. Drafted 33rd by Atlanta in ‘91, Favre was famously unwanted…
Falcons coach Jerry Glanville once joked they’d “drafted the wrong guy. We wanted the guy from Mississippi State.” But as Favre told fans on X: “The team that drafted me didn’t even want me.” The irony? That second-round pick became a Hall of Famer, while first-rounder Dan McGwire—selected 17th by Seattle—flamed out faster than a soggy firecracker. Hence, Favre’s message is clear.
Heck I didn’t care when I got drafted, I just wanted a team to give me a chance wherever I went.
It’s what you do when your # is called that matters, not when you were taken.
On top of that, the team that drafted me didn’t even want me #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZGZBZ8TvKN
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) April 26, 2025
Draft position fades; legacy doesn’t. “It’s what you do when your # is called that matters, not when you were taken,” he insists—a mantra tested now by Shedeur Sanders’s unprecedented slide. Brett Favre’s journey—from Falcons castoff to Packers icon—is a roadmap for Sanders. And the stats, as always, don’t lie.
Favre’s 71,838 passing yards and 508 TDs dwarf McGwire’s 745 yards and 2 scores. However, one draft night defined both of them. “You can drive yourself crazy with those what-if games,” former Seahawks exec Tom Flores admitted (per a report by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times), reflecting on passing on Favre. “Everybody has made mistakes, especially in the first round and especially with quarterbacks.’’ And while Favre’s draft tale is a punchline-turned-parable, Sanders’ situation is dead serious.
Shedeur’s slide and Favre’s rally cry
“If you ain’t trying to change the franchise or the culture, don’t [pick] me,” Shedeur barked pre-draft. And as luck would have it, he wasn’t. Not on day 1. And not even on day 2. Projected as a first-round lock, the Colorado QB watched 102 names get called—including QBs like Tyler Shough and Dillon Gabriel—before Day 2 ended. The snub sparked outrage akin to a botched referee call. Patrick Mahomes tweeted “Crazy,” while Stephen A. Smith compared it to “Kaepernick-level collusion.” Favre, ever the renegade, doubled down on his support. His advice?
Channel that anger. After all, Favre’s Atlanta stint was a dumpster fire—he once celebrated a pick-six by quipping, “It’s still a touchdown pass!”—but a trade to Green Bay turned him into a legend. For Sanders, the parallels are stark. Like Favre in ‘91, he’s a polarizing talent with critics questioning his flair and focus. But Favre’s rise proves that draft night slights fuel greatness. As Netflix’s upcoming “The Fall of Favre” reminds us, even legends start as underdogs.
Brett Favre’s story isn’t just about jorts and jaw-dropping throws. The first rounds don’t guarantee NFL success; players earn it through hard work. Sanders, now facing his own “what-ifs,” might recall Favre’s advice: “Fuel to the fire.”
As the dust settles on this draft, one question lingers like a halftime huddle. Will Shedeur Sanders turn his slide into a Super Bowl ride? Only time will tell. But if history’s any guide, the best stories start with a little chaos—and a lot of heart. As John Madden said, “The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.”
What’s your take—can Shedeur rewrite his draft narrative like Favre did?
The post After Strong Opinions on NFL Ignoring Sheduer Sanders, Brett Favre Makes Honest Pre-Draft Confession appeared first on EssentiallySports.
